


Your Mess for Mine

by Liquid_Moon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, BDSM, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Drunk Sex, F/M, Fluff, Gay Undertones, Humor, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Rough Sex, sex comes later in the work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-02-25 22:17:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 40
Words: 125,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18710785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liquid_Moon/pseuds/Liquid_Moon
Summary: Loki is thrown to Earth as a punishment, (like his brother before him), where he is taken prisoner by the X-Men. He meets Rogue who just came out of a relationship with Remy and shows her a couple of his tricks. Mostly in bed.





	1. Mettle & Mischief

**Author's Note:**

> Been writing for years, but this is my first ever fanfic, story is slightly silly, kinda whacky and not at all original as i stated (sorry), woz working mostly on character building and relationship, sex comes in MUCH later, although it definitely woz my ultimate goal and my incentive. Feel free to better (and batter) me with your comments. I did this for fun. I have a dayjob, I swear :)

**Chapter 1 – Mettle & Mischief**

 

Mostly these days he was angry, when he wasn't angry he was irritated, or impatient with a horrific itch at his fingertips that made him chew down on his nails when he was alone. Or he was restless, roaming the corridors with an edge to his stride, like a man waiting for the arrival of unwanted news. Or he was boiling, sitting on a windowsill and gazing blindly at the milky strap of the Bifrost on the horizon, his knee fidgeting and his ideas cooking to the point of burning- who knows what black and crazy thoughts swim around inside his brain. When he wasn't any of the above, he was bored, and when he was bored he made living around him unpleasant at the very least and intolerable at the worst. One day he put the dining hall curtains on fire. Another day he'd driven a cart full of horse manure into the fountain when the maids were bathing, said it was an accident, which didn't prevent him from taking one of them from behind in the filthy water and broad daylight, to an orchestra of wails produced by her friends. On a third day he was strolling in the market place when a sudden mood seized him and he toppled the fruit stand over two little children with an invisible swish of his staff; walking away silently and chuckling to himself as the people were rushing to save the infants from drowning under the heavy crates. Sometimes he didn't even have to do anything, but just _say_ it, his tongue like whiplash that cracked whoever's patience it fell upon, wreaking havoc.

He was punished for some of his shenanigans, of course, but he didn't mind as long as he was somehow keeping himself entertained. He didn't even complain when his staff was confiscated, for its absence only offered him more challenge to overcome; because he sure needed some pastime, and pranking was as good a hobby as any.  

Loki detested these dead periods in-between wars, when there was no thrill in the air, no dangers lurking in the darkness, and no point to anything whatsoever. To add to his murky mood, there was this _Jane_ who had come to Asgard for a "visit". The said visit has been going on for two months straight now. At first it seemed like she was planning to spend just a few days or so in Asgard, fooling around with his idiot brother. But then father and mother grew so fond of her, and said she possessed "true courtesy" or something of the sort. They engaged in long conversations with her, dressed her up in the clothes of a goddess, and treated her well. All too well.

Loki tried to put an end to it, more than once. First he tried talking sense into his adopting parents. Told them, reminded them, that Jane was only an obstacle, an accident. She cannot possibly be the one to marry Thor. Even if their romance lasted, she would be dead and gone in 80 years or so… well. That didn't do much. No one liked that idea of sweet Jane dying. No one favoured even thinking reasonably, in her case. It was truly remarkable, how much they enjoyed her company, so much so that they did not care to even hear him out. Frigga said to Loki "Jealousy will be the death of you at this rate, my son, if you are not careful." as she caught him glaring at Jane's back.

"I am surprised that after centuries of knowing me, you would mistake my pure hatred for something as mild as envy." He had answered.

Then Loki took a different approach. He invited Jane for a long walk after dinner one night, in the garden. He spoke sweetly, he amused Jane with stories of Thor as a child, how big a baby he was, how clumsy. Jane laughed nervously and kept looking behind her back, as if hoping Thor would join them.

"Shouldn't we go back now?" she remarked more than once, and Loki was distracting her with yet more stories. Then, in the shadow of the weeping willow, Loki held her hand firm in his. He leaned close, he whispered in her ear –"Did he ever tell you of the time I stabbed him when we were eight? The knife went in right there-" He poked her with a cold finger, just under her ribs, because he just could not resist seeing the horror on her face.

"What kind of brother are you?!" she was appalled, and then terrified, as she realised that they were alone in the desolate garden, far from the palace which was no more than a cluster of blinking lights in the distance.

"The adopted kind" he replied and put down his finger. "You didn't like that story, did you?" He said, just to be sure, and added with an afterthought "Wasn't as cute as the others? My apologies."

"You don't even regret it!" she tried to retrieve her hand but failed, as his fingers toughened around her wrist like forming marble. 

Loki was unimpressed by her futile struggle. If she failed to learn by now how much stronger were gods compared to humans then she could not possibly be the brilliant scientist she claims to be. "My dear brother and I used to share girlfriends all the time. See, I didn't get to that part of the story since you were in such a hurry to leave." And Jane looked so shocked she stopped moving.

"What on earth is your problem?!" she said.

"Essentially everything, starting with its people-" He said meanly   

"Okay, I can see where this is going, Loki." Said Jane "You know what I think?"

"Why, do tell."

"I think you are a pathetic attention seeker. You're gonna harm me, or kill me, or both, just to hurt your brother? It will break his heart, and he will never forgive you for it."

Well, not so foolish after all, was she? But Loki had a mission and he was about to see it through. It was not the heart of his brother that he intended to break tonight. 

"You flatter yourself." Said Loki and his eyes shone with cold radiance "He might not be so gutted by your death as you would imagine."

"He loves me." She said meekly, already starting to let the doubt bite –"He invited me here because he wanted to be with me."

"Oh." Loki's tone was immersed in sarcasm -"Is that why he kisses you all the time? Cannot keep his hands off you? Is that why you engage day and night in mind-blowing, intoxicating _lovemaking_ in that gigantic bed of his?"

Bullseye. Her lips were shuddering, he noticed with a jolt of pride, which only encouraged him to continue "Or maybe-" he leaned closer –"The touch of my hand right now is more than he had given you in two whole months. Maybe you go to sleep at night next to him, and you wish, you beg for him to have sex with you, but he just wouldn’t."

Jane looked away, but he knew that as painful as his words were, she wanted to hear more. She wanted Loki to unravel the mystery, to explain why Thor was acting so strangely and Loki was more than happy to deliver.

"What was his excuse for not putting his cock into you? Did he tell you he wanted to protect your innocence? But of course you have slept with other men, so it doesn't add up. Doesn't the scientist in you find that explanation a tad lame?"

Jane didn't reply, but her breathing began to stutter and she was about to cry.

"It is the Lady Sif that he loves." Loki swung the final blow with a triumphant grin –"It will take 300 more years or so before they are married, they are both currently playing hard to get. Not uncommon between gods, and you, poor little human creature, were simply dragged into it unknowingly." He used his other hand to grab her chin and turn her to face him –"You are welcome to make use of this delicate information as you see fit." He smiled again, benevolently, and let her go.   

"Your words are poison" Jane whispered –"and I am more than done listening to you. Never come near me again. Never say another word to me!"

But as she pulled up the hems of her tent-size dress from her ankles so she could run faster, Loki was laughing quietly, as he believed he might have just been successful at disrupting her inner balance, and it was delicious.  

*

The next morning, at breakfast, Jane looked absent minded and lost. The look on her exhausted and worried face told Loki that she didn't have much sleep last night. Excellent. Not such a dreamy vacation in the clouds after all? You're right, Jane, it's not. She was sitting next to Thor, who was mindlessly devouring his food, as usual. Loki caught Jane's glance across the table as he stabbed his toast with his knife, smiling and smug. He also noticed Sif's obvious flirting with Thor, as she asked him to pass her the jug. He noticed how Jane sat erect and tensed to that request, and how she followed Thor's hand with anxious eyes, as he passed the jug to Sif, and when Sif's hand briefly touched Thor's fingers, Jane grew even paler. Loki was having the time of his life.

"Mother," said Loki pleasantly –"I reckon Jane isn't very comfortable with the dresses you and Freya picked for her."

Sif almost chocked on her food as she was about to burst into laughter. The dresses were too big for Jane to begin with and definitely not her style, but Loki used to tamper with them, using his magic tricks to add more layers of cloth or to lengthen the train, so that Jane would practically get tangled and drown in them, when she didn't trip over the edges.   

"Loki!" cried Frigga –"I'm sure Jane can speak for herself."

"Yes, but she is too polite, even when her sleeve has sunk into her coffee."

Jane looked down mortified. Her sleeve was indeed taking a swim in the cup and as she hoisted her hand it dripped coffee all over the untouched eggs on her silver plate.

"Loki!" cried Frigga again, eying her son. She was not easily fooled. After all, she had taught him everything he knew, and her cross glare said ~Is this your doing, Loki?!~, and Loki's tiny twitch at the margins of his mouth said ~Yes, Mother. Does it make you proud?~

"I want you to leave this table immediately." Said Frigga, but her voice was hardly as harsh as her order. Finally, everyone was staring at him, and not at the mortal.

"Certainly, Mother." Said Loki and rose with half a grin, bowing elegantly before he went on his way.

Sif gave Loki a dangerous look, but Loki merely shrugged. When breakfast was over, and Loki was wandering in the hallways and searching for something to destroy, a spear came from nowhere, jabbing at his neck without warning. He stopped dead mid-walking, and smiled. He had learnt over time that it was always better to welcome attacks with a friendly expression.

"Surely, you will not kill me." He said to furious Sif, who was on the other end of the spear.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, Loki!" She grunted, angrily –"You said you would get rid of her! But then you make it so obvious, and you pick on her openly, and now everyone knows that you're plotting."

"I'm always plotting. It would have looked much more suspicious if I was acting nicely." stated Loki, in his defense.

"Bottom line is, she is still here, Loki. And he loves her more than ever. You were supposed to seduce her!"

Sif pushed the tip of her spear into his throat. Loki didn't seem to mind, as he stood still even when she angled it to poke the bottom of his jaw and his famous tongue could feel it from the inside of his mouth.

"My dear Lady Sif." Said Loki, as if he was not facing a life threatening situation –"I do believe you are barking at the wrong tree."

"What mean you by that?"

"Well." Said Loki –"300 years give-or-take, and nothing really happened between you and my brother. Or… what was that? A stolen kiss when you were children? Did that get your hopes too high, Sif? Because, to be honest, he isn't interested. You were never his type, Sif. He likes them stupid. " and with that, Sif started to shudder, and she lowered her spear.

"Good." Loki smiled humorlessly, rubbing his neck above his collar, where the spear left a pale red line –"I'm glad we understand each other. For a minute there I thought you had lost what little sense that was left in you, being all swooned and  moody like a mere teenag-"

But he never managed to complete the insult, as Sif's iron fist flew with a blur right into his nose, and sent him waving across the room where he was smeared against an ivory column and fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, his head dizzy from the blow.

"Huh." He spat ironically –"I'm assuming this is the end of our deal, then?"

Sif just ignored him and left, though he did shout after her "He likes her since she acts as a lady, and not as a brute! You might want to… take that into consideration." That last bit of the sentence was heard only by the stone-cold walls, since Sif was long gone. And as Loki tried to rise to his feet, he found that his leg was broken. Again.

*


	2. Sordidly Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is playing with the heart of an innocent healer

Later, in the healing chamber, he was lying on the bench, facing up, relieved of his physical pain; while one of the healers, a young enchantress Loki knew well, was working her healing spells to fix his broken nose and leg.

"Why do you always fight?" she inquired sweetly while hovering with her palm over his nose, to put it back in its natural sneering position –"I've fixed you twice this week already. It's getting, worse, isn't it? I might begin to think you are doing it on purpose, or maybe you just want me to take care of you?"

"So many questions… " muttered Loki with a secret smile, and a glint in his green eye, aimed both at the healer –"Let's just leave it at maybe."

"Maybe, what…?" the healer rested her palm gently on his forehead, he closed his eyes gratefully, drinking the soothing warmth that poured generously from her fingers, and her heart. She felt for him, truly, and it made her all the more better at her job and all the more vulnerable.

"Maybe I like having my bones shattered, and maybe I like having you put them back together, and maybe it's all just the way entropy works. I am the God of Chaos, did you know?"

"Loki," she started, caressing black strands of hair away from his forehead –"I am worried about you."

Loki chuckled and took her palm in his. The patches of his skin, where she's only just touched with such tenderness, were begging for more. Nevertheless, he lay still, his body not disclosing a hint of how dirty ideas his mind was starting to produce.

"I mean it." She continued, but Loki just pressed her palm to his lips for a brief moment, dismissively "Thank you for your concern." He said "I am right as rain." He assured her, and knowing what was coming next, he stretched, aiming to leave. At that moment, she leaned in for a kiss, which he stopped by holding his arm up in a delicate gesture of refusal –"Not now, Darling." Because he did not want it.

Her eyes, the colour of honey, could not hide her disappointment, and her lips were perfect pink, soft, and addictive. He had learnt that from experience.

"Then perhaps," said she as he was still in place –"I could pay you a nightly visit? Heal some of your other pains?" That was brave of her to speak up to a God in such a manner, but he decided to overlook that little slip, if only for the fact that she's just made him feel so much better. 

"Not this night I fear," he said painfully, awarding her with a hungry look, which rapidly changed to a stern face –"I have other plans. For tonight."

"But… you cannot leave just yet."  She said, so sadly and so fragile, that he made a mental note to himself never to fuck her again. Moreover, never to get himself beaten up again while it was her shift at the healing chamber.

Poor thing, whatever her name was (he couldn't remember) was madly in love with him apparently. It was so stupid of him, so careless, when he comes to think about it, to have sex with her so often. All the maids in Asgard were beautiful. Ravishing, really.  And they all dressed… well. Sexy. And they were all so obedient. This was clearly arranged. To keep the Gods happy, for sure, when they were not busy with war or politics. He smiled, a bitter smile, to himself. Remembering back how whenever he felt lonely, or hankering for sex, a maid of some sort would accidently be around just in time and in the right mood to relieve him of his frustrations. Curious. No, not curious. Deliberate. Odin had probably arranged for it. There was a system.

This one, however, he actually liked. She was sweet. She made him laugh, with her silly, endless questions, and her curing spells were a tremendous advantage. This was why he preferred having her around, not the others, when he'd felt his need pressing. And on the other hand, her innocence and vulnerability held him back from ravaging her. He just couldn't. And so, she would come by, more and more often. She would talk to him, and he liked having her in his bed, and listening to the sound her voice, and he would restrain himself from giving liberty to all of his wicked ideas.

Sometimes she would suck him off. The experimental, uncertain act of a rookie, but good enough to make him come. He offered no guidance and no approvals. He had no wish to ruin her joy in giving him pleasure. At other times he couldn't resist fucking her, but he did so with a vast amount of gentleness, as if he was not himself, just… well. The casual in and out. Nevertheless, he liked having her sleep next to him when she was drained and satisfied. Up to a certain point, well, it was just… nice. 

 In any case, this was now out of the question. It's over. The look she gave him not a moment ago, dependent, needy… no. he will not have that. Not with a maid. And anyways, he had other plans.

"Why can't I leave?" he asked with a huff.

"The spells need some time to sink in." she replied and stroked his forehead, which wasn't required. No, she was trying to get a hold of him in someway, and he was getting tired of it. He had to end this now. He will end it tonight.

"Hands off!" he scolded with the suddenness of a crash –"What have you done, Healer!? My nose was never that straight." He pushed her away and slid his finger up and down his nose, unhappy with the smoothness of the arc –"There was a bump on the ridge-now, where is it, Darling?" he turned his head sideways to look at her, already humped down.

"But _Sire_ … it was a result of a previous fracture, I … I fixed it-" explained the healer.

"Break it again, then." He said sharply.

"But… Sire!" the girl was horrified.

"If you don't do it, then I will."

"No, Master Loki, please. Please don't-" tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands, her voice growing hysterical –"My prince, I was taught to heal, my powers are to give grace and comfort, not to mangle, please Sire…. Please!"

"Then why don't you try experimenting with your powers for once, hmm? Could be a whole new adventure for you."

"No. No, sire, please-" the girl fell to her knees instinctively, to the foot of the bench, holding her hands in front of her body as if in prayer, and her head was shaking frantically –"I don't wish to, I cannot… I _will_ not, Sire  -" and then the dam was breached and hot tears were streaming down her pretty cheeks, and she was begging through her blubber –"Master-"

"Cease this mewling, woman! It is but a nose." Said Loki angrily –"I could do it in my sleep." And with that he punched himself in the face, feeling the crush of the tiny bones, as the girl was shrieking and sobbing next to him- but he was pleased as the warm blood filled his nostrils.

"Now." He said quietly, staring upwards –"Take care of the mess. Don't touch the shape, I want to keep it crooked. As a reminder. Like a battle scar. My brother has many, why should he have all the fun." He kept on blabbering jokingly before noticing the girl wasn't talking or doing her job. For a moment he thought she had fainted, but then he turned to see that she was folded in half and sniveled like a child.

"Hey." He said in a different tone –"Come off it, Darling, it's done. Come here."

He reached out his arm and she shook her head in shock, still weeping.

"It wasn't that bad, I swear. But I am bleeding now and I need you to stop it with your holy hands, can you do that for me?"

Still silence and more tears. This was exasperating.

"Healer." He spoke again, even more softly –"This wasn't your doing, it was mine. I do not resent you for the loyalty you hold for your profession. On your feet now. I'll be nice."

The healer sniffed once and wiped her nose with her wrist, then her eyes caught his for a glimpse and they were full of disbelief. Quietly she climbed to her feet, heavily, as if she were a thousand years older than minutes ago. She approached the bench again, and this time when she put her hands on his face, her fingers were not as warm as before, and they were trembling and stiff.

"I have upset you."

"No, Master."

"Then resume your speaking. You always have a lot to say when you work on me."

"My mouth has gone dry, Sire." She said, still shaken.

"Well, let us wet it then." Said Loki, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down to hover over his face with terrified eyes, before he arched upwards and caught her lips with his, locking them tightly in a suckle, a long and painful one, until a desperate moan was drawn out of the healer, and she almost collapsed on top of him- not with passion, but with terror- and he released.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes, Sire." She lied.

"And now speak." He said cruelly. And she did. Whatever nonsense she was saying, it no longer mattered. And now she finally hated him truly. Better? Yes. It was actually better that way.

*


	3. Drinking Mercury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Jane are having an emotional make-out session in the library when everything goes wrong...

Later, at night, Thor was at the library reading _The Book of the Ancestors_ , trying to find answers. In particular, he was searching for an answer to how a bond of a God and a human could survive. He knew for a fact that these relationships occurred in the past and that the answers he was desperate for – prolonging human lifespan, freezing time, perhaps- were here somewhere, hidden right beneath his nose. But then, reading wasn't one of his many strengths, and whenever he read a line his eyebrows would come so close together they would knit, and a hint of a headache would creep ominously behind his eyes, like a thief, so that he had to stop every two or three minutes. Half of the words were anyhow foreign to him, although he knew they were written in English, they _had_ to be, but how thick and ancient a version, how _evil_ , as if someone intended them to be incomprehensible on purpose. He had the dictionary open next to the book on the yellowy teak table, and the candles he'd lit what seemed like ages ago were almost spent. Thor was tired, his large body unfit for being stuck unmoving in a chair crafted for scrawny librarians with a bony bum; and he was getting wearier by the second. He was not one to give up without a fight, but then even his fingers were not made for this task. Rough and calloused as they were, they were battling with the delicate pages just trying to flip the damn things. One time he had even ripped a leaf by mistake, and he looked about him, fearing that someone might have seen. And when he was certain that no one had, he folded the page and pushed it back between the others, to conceal it from future readers and historians. This was damn useless. Thor needed someone, someone like Loki to aid him, to guide him through this forest of gibberish and secrets, to decipher the runes of this obsolete pain in the arse. _Someone like Loki_ , with a feathery touch, with fingers so slender he was able to pet a butterfly on its head without harming it; Someone with wit.

No. Not in a million years.

Loki would just refuse him, and he would make fun of him, Thor could already hear his acute laughter ringing in his ears. _"So. My brother is consulting with books now!, books. Well, lo and behold- the oaf seeks proper education!"_ Loki would say. Thor sighed deeply and shook his head. He had missed his brother, greatly so. He had missed their time spent together and their talks, their… friendship, if you must call it by a name. But then Loki grew so distant in the past few decades, and ever since Jane came along, their relationship turned casual and meaningless, and right now it was but a sore memory. Thor sighed again "Loki, Loki, Loki…" his mouth was saying quietly to the candles. At that instant, Jane showed up like an apparition on the doorstep, dressed in violet silks.

"Jane?" said Thor, surprised, and closed the book shut, making sure that the torn page didn't stick out –"I told you to wait in the bedroom, I will join you shortly-"

"Yes, I know. But… " She stepped closer to the chair he was stuffed in, and a gust from the hallway carried her scent to his nostrils: violets and jasmine, and just a pinch of sweat. It was so heady that Thor lost his train of thought for a moment and breathed in her fragrance as though gulping excellent mead.

"I couldn't sleep." Jane said, her eyes shadowed by her lashes, her fingers fondling her necklace- a beautiful amethyst on a thin silver chain. 

"Yeah?" said Thor stupidly and turned in the chair, but when he was about to rise, he found that his legs were numb and his hips were clamped by the armrests. It took him quite a while to free himself, and clumsily so. He blushed.

"What troubles the sleep of my Beauty?" he said when he approached her. His eyes drawn to the necklace as if it were a magnet, or perhaps it was her cleavage.

"I had thoughts."

"Yeah?" Thor said, stupidly, again. He knew he sounded stupid, but then he was so tired, and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. He put his palms on her waist securely. It was so tiny in his hold- it never ceased to marvel him.

"Yeah." Said Jane –" I was thinking-"

"Is that a new perfume?" Thor just couldn't get over himself, now that they were so close; the smell was so intense it dazzled him to the brink of blindness. He found himself leaning and placing a sodden kiss below her left ear.   

"It is." Jane replied, voice diminishing into a velvety sigh in response to the kiss, which only encouraged Thor to open his mouth and close it around her tiny earring; and then suckle on it fervently.

"I was just thinking… Ah!-bout us." she was now touching him too, her hands going up and down his biceps, giving him the chills in such a good way and fostering an immediate hard-on, which he instinctively dug against her thigh. –"Yes, about us-" he muttered with his mouth full before unclasping the earring with the pull of his teeth and the roll of his tongue, spitting it to the floor and admiring the flushed and puffy earlobe. His ongoing efforts not to have sex with her seemed so pointless all of a sudden; although he did remember somewhere in the back of his mind that they used to make sense. But why make sense when they could make love.  "What about us?" said Thor drunkenly.

Jane took his chin in her hand and pressed her fingernail to the center of his lower lip- "About will you still love me when I'm old and wrinkled, while you're still in your prime." She whispered, and Thor felt as if he was kicked in the face. No, not yet. She will have to hold back that thought, because he is just about to solve their tragic problem. He lifted her, turned and placed her in the chair he was previously using, then dropped to his knees and put his big hands on hers until they disappeared beneath his hairy fingers.

"Jane-" he started breathlessly, looking her in the eyes –"You know you have my heart. You saved me in more than many ways. I swear that I will do everything in my power to make it possible for us to be together. All I ask of you is to wait a little bit longer. Just give me a little more time… and if I cannot solve it, then… you can leave. If that's what you had in mind." He gulped and felt tiny tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. Mindlessly he buried his face in her lap as if expecting an axe to fall on his neck and sever his head from his crouching body. "Please." He finished, but instead of an axe, a petite hand slid from under his and landed on his neck like a breeze, then it brushed his hair sideways with a gentle, forgiving touch. Exposing his forming goosebumps.

"Very well." Said Jane quietly, and kept stroking at his hair for a few moments, and Thor exhaled with tremendous relief. However, when he made an attempt to raise his head again, the little hand pressed lewdly at his nape, suggesting him to be still.

"I stay here for a little longer," said she –"and you stay were you are for a little longer in return."   

Thor moaned passionately between her legs, knowing he will not be able to hold back much longer. Not with her making it so clear that her needs were demanding his attention, and with so much at stake. His last bit of hesitation drowned when she opened her legs invitingly and his chin sunk in the folds of her gown. He was once again hit by her stunning scent, which had a subsidiary source behind her underwear. He breathed warmly against it –"I will do what you have me do, Jane."

"I want this." She confirmed –"Don't stop-".

Panting, he reached down to the brims of the garment, pulled the dress over her legs and plunged his nose into the warm darkness. The hand on his neck grew firmer and guided him as he drew out his tongue to rub against the thin fabric obediently. Not that he was lacking experience- on the contrary- and yet he was baffled and overwhelmed. Never had he imagined himself to be in so much emotional pain at this position. He shuddered as he pressed his mouth to the silk and let his tongue lick its way into inevitable doom, as it was certainly no use for talking.

*

Sif, who was watching this entire scene from the hallway, as the door was left ajar, felt her heart sinking. And moreover, she felt guilty, embarrassed, disgusted.

Yes, she has loved Thor ever since they were children. She had always wanted to be with him, wanted him to see her for who she was- a woman. A beautiful goddess capable of anything, really. She studied martial arts for him, made herself the super-fighter he would be bound to admire. She wanted to be with him, there, in combat, in war. To never lose sight of him, and to save him if necessary. She'd perfected her talents so devotedly that she became a warrior, a strong, and proud warrior, almost as strong as a man-god. Almost as strong as Thor. She was there with him, in battles. She was there, with him, in the celebrations afterwards. Drinking with him, like a man would. Their talks were endless and he confided in her. She's carried him to bed more than a thousand times- just to leave him there to sober up. Waiting, longing for him to invite her to stay, but he never did. She was his best friend- all forgotten. And Jane…

Jane was his _lover_.

Seeing them together, so intimate. He said that Jane had saved him. What can it mean? How could this little human save a God? What has she done, to make him so infatuated with her? No. decided Sif. It doesn't really matter. Just watching them closely at that encounter, seeing how Thor's love for Jane was so genuine, so pure and perfect- did break her heart. But it also meant she had no chance against that human. All of those stupid dreams of love… Loki was right. She was barking at the wrong tree. She was wasting her energies, and it was all in vain. There was only one thing left to do now, so Sif did it.

She rushed, almost running, towards Thor's chambers, and she forced the door open aggressively, finding Jane in a violet pajama, sitting on the bed and reading an astrophysics book to candlelight.

"Yes?-" said Jane and dropped the book, expecting yet another catastrophe –"What is it, Sif? What happened?"

"It's Thor." Said Sif to her rival, with great effort –"He's in the library. Get there. Now."

"I know he's in the library. He went there a couple of hours ago. Told me to wait for him here… what… did he ask for me?" asked Jane, rising to her feet.

"In a way. Just get over there. Quickly, Jane. No questions. You know the way?"

"Yeah, I do." said Jane, and Sif only nodded and left her to herself. Jane's heart was pounding. She didn't even close the door behind her due to her alarm. Sif surely looked worried, therefore the matter had to be serious. Despite the circumstances, though, Jane was far from panicking. She was composed enough to use the mental map in her mind to find her way easily, as she hurried though the labyrinth of echoing archways and hallways. Yet, nothing could have prepared her for the uncanny scene she got a glimpse at when she'd reached the library. There was Thor, kneeling in the corner of the room, his hands all over another woman who had _her_ robes partially open at the front, in the act of making out. Severely so. His mighty head was between her legs, to be exact. It took Jane the fraction of a second to identify the wanton slut as either a very convincing doppelganger, or an illusion - if not her own actual self. The blood flooded her cheeks and ears instantly, and she lunged forward in a fit of rage, grabbed her mirror image by the hair and pulled her away from Thor –"You shapeshifting, swaggering SNAKE!" she screamed at the other Jane, raking her face frantically with her fingernails, and tearing at her clothes, uncaring that it was like fighting her own self, and having to deal with the fact that the other Jane was topless, and her breasts were flailing about in the course of the fight. The other Jane was just as uncaring, but on top of that- she looked amused! If anything, she seemed to enjoy it, as she didn't return any of the blows and could not hide her smirk.

Unlike the real Jane, Thor took more than 20 seconds to realise what was happening, as his gaze switched with bewilderment between the two Janes. His wonder, however, was quick to change into fury as the conclusions sank in, and he rose menacingly, hollering with his deep voice at the fake Jane "LOKI!" his boots pounding on the floor as he approached, threatening –"I will separate your smirking head from your treacherous body with my bare hands!"

"Will you honestly, brother?" said the fake Jane, in Jane's voice –"when I am in this beautiful form? Could you? After your naughty tongue was pleasuring me deep inside." and with that fake Jane shed her robes completely, and she was left there standing only in her panties, that had a little heart printed on them. Thor was taken aback, and he hesitated to make another move. For no matter how many a times Loki had tricked him by stealing the identity of another, he always had trouble seeing past it, let alone ignore it.

" _I_ CAN!" cried the real Jane –"and it will be my pleasure!" and she threw herself at the fake Jane once more, smashing fist after fist into her face and swearing. The fake Jane giggled –"I nearly had him where you wanted him, Sweetheart. He was going to put his cock inside you, at last. Wouldn't it have been at least comforting, to know he is able?"

"ENOUGH!" rumbled Thor, but with a sudden change of heart, in was not the fake Jane he was going for now. Instead he took the real Jane in his arms, picking her up effortlessly whilst still kicking, breaking her away from Loki and saying to her solemnly –"This is what he wants. Can't you see how happy he is? Let's just leave."

"You cowardly cub." Said Loki to Thor, not without resentment.  

Thor turned around one last time, still holding Jane –"You know, brother, there was a time when your tricks were dangerous, thrilling, or entertaining. I fear that you have lost your talent. You will not again drag me into your wicked games." He sighed –"I have outgrown you, Loki. I am sorry."

And with that Thor left with Jane, probably to finally have sex. And it was all because of Loki. Why doesn't anyone appreciate what he is doing for them.

With the game over, Loki changed back to his usual form. He tenderly examined the bruises and scratches on his face with his fingers. They did burn, but it wasn't that bad and anyways, he preferred not to visit the healing chamber right now and see his favourite maid. She would just offer more questions and more intercourse, and he didn't really feel like it.

As he turned the corner once leaving the library, he bumped into Sif. Again. And it was just as unpleasant and blunt as walking into a wall. Loki rolled his eyes –"Lady Sif-" he said quietly –"if we could please postpone the part where you turn my body into a mush, I would highly appreciate it. We could do it tomorrow, perhaps?" he suggested –"after all, I was only trying to help all of us… if only the real Jane hadn't interfered. How and why she came to the library, is beyond my comprehension. A coincidence, beyond doubt."

"It wasn't a coincidence." Snapped Sif, her face stern.

"Oh?"

"Watching you, I just realised, whatever it is you are doing, has one purpose and one purpose only- to make _you_ happy. Not that you could ever be it."

"What?"

"Happy." Sif held his green eyes with her pale blue ones –"You would hurt your brother, hurt Jane, hurt me, hurt yourself even. What for, Loki." She didn't expect a reply.

"Oh, is it getting emotional now?"

"No, Loki." Said Sif –"There is no 'it'. I am done."

"Farewell, then." Loki emitted, angrily, and he retired to his chambers. There was a time, like Thor mentioned, when Loki's mischievous acts would have been glorious and ingenious. There was a time when the entire kingdom was on tiptoes when he was brewing some splendid chaos. Not today. Everyone was so busy, so obsessed with this Jane. Even Sif had neglected her own feelings for the sake of the impossible couple. He had to rethink his entire master plan, had to be much more clever, way more sophisticated than he has been up until now, only he didn't want to ponder it at the moment. All he wanted was to unwind and so he opened two bottles of a delicious quality red wine and consumed them in less than an hour.  Then he lay flat on his bed, face interred in his pillow and passed out.

*


	4. A Daunting Decline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is summoned to a humiliating hearing and is punished for his doings by being sent to Midgard.

Morning has broken, and Loki was still on his stomach in the same cross position and glued to the sheets, sun rays from the window, vicious and biting, were grilling his raven hair; his muscles stiff, nerves tingling, head throbbing and a rough pounding at his door, waking him rudely from his abyssal slumber.   

"I am out of service!" he yelled at the door. Usually that would be enough to frighten off the maids, but not on this harrowing day. There was more pounding still, and a manly voice announced –"Prince Loki, your father expects you in the throne room. You are to arrive there immediately."

"He is not… my _father_!" Loki spat out with frustration, and then he bit the pillow and ripped it open with his teeth, so that a cloud of feathers flew into the air and landed softly on his back, on his head, in his hair, and in his mouth.

More pounding at the door.

"Alright, alright!" cried Loki, and knowing that he had no other choice, he painfully gathered his limbs and rose on all fours in the bed, as slowly and as fast as he possibly could, feeling awful –"I will be there in ten minutes."

"Five minutes." Said the manly voice behind the door.

"Right." Answered Loki. And seriously, what was so damn urgent that there was no time to even wash. Maybe there was a war coming? He thought with a sparkle of hope; but then last night's memories began to resurface through the brumes of his brain- Thor's fingers squeezing his hand and his head moving between his legs as he licked him like a puppy- could that have something to do with their father summoning him? That should be disconcerting to all the attendees: _"Have you bedded your brother, Loki?"_. He still smelled like cupcakes and tangerine- from the Eau-de-toilette he wore to seduce Thor- but in addition to that he was also becoming aware of his clawed face, as the cut under his eye made him squint. He could use a freshly looking illusion of course, but Odin would just see right through it. He would only humiliate him. Loki just sprayed some water on his face, in a hurry. He brushed off the feathers from his dark hair and made his way to the throne room, knocking down a bronze dwarf by mistake as he turned a corner, somewhat wobbly – "Don't get all worked up." He told the statue –"It's merely the usual procedure" and walked on without putting it back.

Well. As the guards opened the massive doors for him and let him into the throne room as to his own execution, it didn't feel like the usual procedure at all. It was way too _quiet._ And when Loki finally came to a halt in the center of the circle drawn on the floor and gazed around the room he had understood why. When he came in, he expected to be dealing with a small family forum, but apparently this was a symposium. Besides his parents Thor was present, which was okay, having him around. If anything, he would speak for Loki as he frequently did- but he was with _Jane_. The intolerable, impertinent human. How _dare she_ take part in his humiliation? They actually consulted with her? Loki was furious and his teeth clenched so tightly it was painful. A raw malice was accumulating in his guts, pushing him to lose what unstable hold he had over himself; and to strangle the human, to crush that chicken neck in the grip of his unforgiving fist, to drop her lifeless and sorry figure to the ground, like a puppet- but then Lady Sif had caught his eye. She was also present, but of course, mouthing "Loki, no." at him, like she would to a dog or a horse. Loki threw her a dark look in return, but then he saw all of Thor's other friends were there as well, and even Heimdall- left the Bifrost unattended? and Loki found that he was gulping. Was he scared? And what was he scared of? Being thrown into the dungeons again? The countless times he had been cast there were a single long episode in his memory, because he honestly could not recall which was when and why. What was he in for the last time? Letting the frost giants in? or was it trying to vaporize the -  

"Loki" Said Odin dramatically, and with obvious disappointment –"I had a different opening in mind for this hearing, but now that I see you I shall be forced to ask what happened to your face."

"I thought being a king meant you are never forced to do anything." Blurted Loki, because he didn't want to refer to the zigzag marks he carried as incriminating evidence.  

" _Do not_ test the boundaries of my patience, Son, for you will have found them broken by the time you try." Odin didn't have to rise from his throne to load the air with tension. Loki admired him for that.

He inhaled shortly through his nose before coming up with a reply "I was attacked by a night bird in heat."

"That should explain the feathers." Muttered Odin and there were some scattered chuckles rippling through the audience as Loki shook off the remaining few feathers from his neckline –"but you lie."

Both men held each other's gaze for a moment, and Loki was unable to decide whether Odin was honestly expecting him to defy his nature.

"The truth might not strike your fancy in this case, father." He said, keeping his voice still and his eyes fixed. He was hoping the king would pick up the hint of warning and get on with it.

"An angry bird."

"Yes."

"Very well." Said Odin –"And are the healing chambers out of order, so you could not make yourself presentable after the encounter with the owl?"

"Owlet." Corrected Loki.

Odin's one good eye flared at him under a hairy eyebrow, but he was letting the bird story go.

"In that case, let us begin." Everyone rose without waiting for the king's order. Loki's stomach grumbled under his belt and implored him for the restroom- a wish that he had no hope to grant.

"This hearing is a privilege you do not deserve, Loki. Nevertheless, your mother believes that you should have the chance to redeem yourself from punishment, if, and only if, your counterclaims are valid and convincing, which I do not reckon possible." Loki opened his mouth to speak back, out of pure instinct-

"Careful there." Said Odin –"You do not want to be too eager to answer because anything you say will affect your circumstances." Loki's lips turned into a thin line.  

"Good. At least you are listening. I will present the accusations in the order of occurrence, and you will have one opportunity to respond each time; so brace yourself. You may all be seated."

Loki stiffened and the audience sat down with a swishing sound. 

 "And for once in your life, Loki, _mind your tongue_."   

The said tongue was heavy as lead in his mouth, laden with rancor, it longed for quarrel like a rabid cur. And this was going to take longer than expected, it might last for _hours-_ his spine was already protesting against the lingering upright posture, and his bowels were aching.

"And when you answer," continued Odin, relishing the silence he was able to influence on Loki –"you will answer me honorably, and not like a plain rascal. Remember, you were raised as a prince." Then he uncoiled a scroll, taking his time as he did, and Loki could not help rolling his eyes- what was the ceremony good for, anyways. The outcome was already –

"On the first day of August-" Odin read out loud –"You were found in the pub, disguised as a wench, giving head to the bartender so that the bar was left open for everyone to raid."

"So my sexual rendezvous are a crime now?" Loki scowled.

"If they rouse an organized robbery, then they _are_." Said Odin, and measured his son's innocent eyes that had such an untainted clearness to them, the baby eyes that made him take Loki back from the battle with him- like languid lochs in the moonlight- but it was only trickery.

"Found guilty." Ruled Odin and unfolded a couple more inches down the scroll.

"What…? wait!" cried Loki.

"Did you not hear me when I said one response to each accusation?"

Loki bit back his tongue, by now so swollen it was about to burst.

"On the third day of August, you set the dining hall on fire."

"It was just the curtains, and I was practicing my magic." Replied Loki, and his forehead was beginning to heat up.

"The curtains lit up the table, which it turn burnt along with all the chairs. Next time practice your magic somewhere safe or manage to control it, however I presume you had no intention of controlling it, thus found guilty here as well."

"Father-" said Loki

"Father-" said Thor

But Odin paid them no mind- "On the sixth day of August, you –"

"Drove a cart into the fountain and fucked a servant girl over the bank. And you know what? She liked it. Ask her, why don't you? Why haven't you dragged her here this morrow to serve as a witness? Because it did not serve your purpose, father. You only called my enemies."

"Your family members are your enemies, then?" asked Odin gravely –"Was your brother not trying to defend you but a second ago?"  

Loki blushed, but his tongue now unleashed was going like a spiraling kite "That is beside the point." He breathed for his pressing intestines–"And I was already punished for all of these doings, so what is this all about, father? I am the God of Chaos and you demand I be a _sheep_!"

"No, I _demand_ that you channel your chaos away from this household and away from your brother and your dear ones, and yet you disobey me, your father and your king."

"You only take on these roles when you find it convenient, Allfather. If you wish to punish me just lay it on me, because this hearing is a joke that isn't even amusing."

"If such is your will." Said the Allfather and let the scroll bounce back to its curling –"Just answer me this: have you, or have you not meddled with your brother's love life?"

Now, this was hypocrisy at its best performance, thought Loki, because no matter how much father liked Jane, he never believed it could work between her and Thor. He only needed an excuse to assemble this hearing, and to confront him, perhaps get rid of him for good. But Loki didn't want to call his bluff, because that would have been unwise. Instead, he gave a performance of his own.

"I most definitely haven't. I was merely giving him some bedroom tips." That was half a lie.

"I beg your pardon!"

"He needed a little bit of guidance in the field, _Father_ , so that he may fulfill his uxorial duties" – and _that_ was almost true.

"She is not his wife quite yet." Odin was reddening under his beard. Next to Thor, Jane was also colouring like raspberry.   

Loki placed both his hands behind his back and straightened his spine –"Be it as it may, I felt obliged to give him my advice, as his brother and as the more experienced lover– are you sure you would like to hear the rest of it?" Thor came to his feet like a big bear in an armour. His friends sat him down again. Loki smiled dryly –"I am sorry, did that sound disrespectful? I hadn't realised. Didn't get enough sleep, you see- teaching the ways of love to a God could be rather demanding."

He had truly dug his own grave with his tongue this time, but then his tongue was always quicker than his brain, and like quicksilver it could not be contained.

"You _hilding of a devilish spirit_!"   Odin's voice came down so loud, that Loki shrunk where he stood. "I tried to raise you well." He was old, Odin, older than time, but in his anger he darted from the throne like lightening, and backhanded Loki full on the face, the rings he was bearing breaking his upper lip. Loki's head jerked to the right, and then he just smiled, because crying was out of the question. Odin huffed and started pacing around Loki, thumping his staff into the floor with each step- a nasty habit –"I spared nothing from you. I tried to teach you, kindness and forgiveness and awe-"

Loki closed his eyes, feeling the blood stinging as it was creeping through the cut- a little comfort.

"And I had _failed_ , in each and every step of the way." Odin boomed, the crowd was fascinated, Loki swallowed, and the noise of it was so overwhelming it seemed to reverberate from the walls. His head hurt too much and he was suddenly a child again, taken unknowingly from the Blue Mountains into this golden realm, never knowing how to fit in, and ever-failing at his efforts, just like his dad.

"I have suffered through all of your rebellions, all of your ungratefulness, your evil antics, and all of your rage… but it has become clear to me… that I have suffered enough."

Loki went as pale as a corpse. He looked at Odin. He searched his heart for hatred, but he did not hate the old man at that moment. He was sorry for him, because with Loki he was bound to reap nothing but anguish for eternity, and he was sorry for his mother – the pain he was causing her always prickled him with qualms- but more than anything he was still drunk, so he slurred –"Well you better get rid of me, then. Make it permanent this time round. I wish not to prolong this idiocy- the dungeons it is, I will take it- cuff me and send in the brutes."

Odin measured him with piercing eyes –"You want me to give up on you now?" he sounded broken for a second, like a faltering wheel –"It will not, cannot, be so easy for you, Loki, I'm afraid."

"What then." Said Loki, his throat a desert and his heart a sinking stone. "However hard it is, let it be."  

"We have… given it thought." Said Frigga, rising now as well. Loki guessed she was only taking over because her husband was getting too upset, which wasn't good for his health. He bowed gracefully as she rose. When she came close enough she took his hand in hers, and Loki hoisted his head to meet her eyes, his vision blurred as if he was riding through ocean mist –"Yes, Mother?"

"My son." Acknowledged Frigga, her hand and eyes damp; and yet her voice was nothing but dry and neutral–"We have come to a conclusion, it would be best for you to stay away from your brother for a while."

"Gladly." Answered Loki without thought. But then Frigga continued - "and that is why… we will be sending you to Midgard."

"Midgard!?" panted Loki, alarmed all of sudden. "Not Midgard, mother." Of all the nine realms, Loki hated Midgard the most. It wasn't the planet, but the people. What business had he there, among the mongrels and the worms that were doomed to die before they had a chance to grow intelligence?

"I am sorry." Said she.

Loki was suddenly so weak he fell to his knees as if in slow motion, still holding his mother's hand, forgetting the audience –"Mother, please. I don't belong there, I was made for greatness!" he pleaded. Are they going to use the exact same punishment they used with Thor? Was he as senseless as his brother? As hopeless?

"Yes." Said Odin –"You were. Made for greatness. But you have been misusing your power one too many a times. You will be sent to Midgard, it had worked wonders on your brother. He came back… complete. And you, my son, are a disgrace."

He looked down at Loki with no sympathy, and Loki glared up and let go of his mother's hand. He was about to get up again, he wanted to look Odin straight in the eye-

"STAY DOWN!" boomed Odin –"Where you belong." His last words like the growl of a wolf with a bone between his jaws –"My first born had disappointed me two years ago, because of his pride. While his head was in the clouds, yours is in the gutter. And now you have stooped so low that you busy yourself with nothing but how to cloy your selfish and most abhorrent desires. Like a lowly _beast_." Little droplets of spit were shot from Odin's mouth and hit Loki's steaming forehead, to add to his abasement. He had closed his eyes and licked his lips. His head was bashed by the hooves of a thousand buffalos until it was spread and hammered out for everyone to witness. Barred for his childish schemes- perceived as no more than petty- when they were truly his lifeline. Though there were only words to protect him now, they were too crude to polish and he had no brilliance.

"Father-" Thor was rising to his feet, but Odin silenced him with a glance.

"Am I to return as tame as my brother?" said Loki venomously, looking up from his kneeling position with burning eyes –"Am I to return with a human bride hanging on my arm like a prize?" he rose to his feet, shaking slightly from the hangover, Odin permitted it this time –"Or would you rather have me _rot_ there among the garbage of Midgard, like a roach!"

"This is for your own good, brother." Said Thor, what a grave mistake.  

"Shut it, you idiot. How good must you feel now, that you can bask in my descent. Do not think for a moment that I have need for your pity or your advice, and do not think that you can manage without mine."

Thor was about to answer that, but Jane squeezed his hand. What a good wife she was to become.

"I believe," said Odin –"We have just witnessed a demonstration of why the two of you should be kept apart."

Everyone grew quiet, possibly agreeing –"Loki Laufeyson," started Odin, because whenever Loki was misbehaving Odin was loyal to his original dynasty and called him by his birth name–"You will be sent to Midgard indefinitely. You will wear a human form" he thumped his staff once into the floor and Loki felt a cold wave showering through his entire being, leaving him with an even worse hangover than before. –"You will be stripped of your magical powers-" another thud, another cold wave –"Your wit will be your only tool. Perhaps your heart, if you find that you own one." That last sentence wasn't harsh, but sorrowful, and Loki felt a pang of shame yet again.

"You will take nothing with you, save for the clothes that you are wearing. Heimdall will be monitoring you from here. I hope your adventures on Midgard would satisfy your unremitting curiosity, if they teach you nothing."

And with that, the ceremony was over, everything was over. Loki opened his mouth to ask a question, but the answer was merely what felt like a boot in the chest, and then he was flying backwards through time and space, helpless, falling, throwing his arms in all directions, spinning, wind rushing through his hair and cloak, till he finally hit something hard: a roof, which cracked as he collided into it before it collapsed under the weight of the impact, sending Loki down yet again and unto a flat surface, which happened to be a desk. Banished and battered, Loki lay splattered against it, like a stain of black ink, head facing upwards to the skies which spat him not a moment ago, though he knew it must have taken much more than moments, as the colour of the universe he was gazing at was now thick indigo and specked with silver dots, winking down at him, as if in scorn. He waited for some 20 minutes, trying to digest the newly born mess he was in, before he felt there was no more falling expected in the near future and it was safe to now raise his head.  In spite of his violent crash, it appeared that no bones were broken. In fact, nothing even hurt. Nothing physical, at the very least. He pulled himself into a sitting position and examined the room he was in: there were rows of desks and chairs set in front of a big board, and there were wide windows to his left, overlooking a garden. Unlike his idiot brother, Loki did his homework when they were young and he recognized the place as a classroom. This is where humans prepare other humans for adulthood. He jumped off the desk and walked towards the board, where he found a handful of markers on a little shelf attached to it. He couldn't resist the temptation, so he picked up the red marker and left a writing in big stylish cursive on the board. It said: "I will have my revenge".

*


	5. A Warm Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Loki is greeted by the humans of Midgard, and it isn't pleasant. [This is my fav. one yet:)]

Declaring his intentions in writing made him feel no better and he still needed a toilet nonetheless- a fact he was reminded of as soon as he started putting his body into motion. Loki stepped towards the single door in the classroom, and pressed the knob to open it. He was now in a long corridor that was dimly lit, and up ahead he could spot a faintly glowing sign with a dark male silhouette to mark it, above a large metallic door. It had to be either the exit or the men's restroom – both good enough to provide a solution to his pressing predicament; but the faster he was walking and the closer he was getting to the door, the more intense was the need in his bowels. Loki practically dashed forward, and was indeed running the last couple of yards. He had almost missed the window of opportunity, kicking the door open and undoing his belt while at it, fairly panicking to see this was no restroom or exit at all, but a crammed broom closet that smelled of chemicals and dust. Loki grunted as the door slammed on him and blocked the light altogether , then pulled down his trousers unceremoniously, squatted in the darkness and relieved himself unto whatever surface was under his feet and he could not see, nor care about. His inner organs made such horrid sounds as they were draining- first lesson to being human. Disgusting. And when he wanted to clean himself with magic he learnt that it could not be done. He reached for whatever he could find useful- a cloth of some sort which when he pulled from a hook turned out to be a shirt or a thin jacket- it made no difference. He wiped himself off and tossed it aside, and he might have puked in the process; only his stomach was empty. Suits him about right: head in the gutter and stooping low, like a beast- all of the things that Odin mentioned which Loki could now view with painful clarity. He cursed under his nose, clothed himself again and leaned on a lonely broomstick for the tiniest of seconds, just to catch his breath- when there was a sudden flash of red light, and a loud noise followed, high pitched and wailing. A _siren_. He damn well needed to remember about those, only he just didn't. Soon enough footsteps echoed in the corridor –"Stand back!" a man shouted, and another man presumably spoke to Loki from the other side–"We know you're in there! step away from the door, we're coming in!"

"Oh happy days." Muttered Loki as two human guards broke through the door, oozing righteousness, and a beam from a flashlight deliberately blinded him.

"Jesus, what is that smell!?"

"Hit the light."

"Where is it."

"To the right. And turn off that alarm as well." And the noise stopped as abruptly as it came, leaving a strange void as it vanished.

"You have two loaded weapons pointing at you, Sir, so don't try anything." This was for Loki.  

"What's there to try?" answered Loki impatiently and his hands were already in the air, in a universal gesture of surrender.  

"My auntie's apple-pie recipe." Came the reply, and Loki's tongue could not thwart such a keen invitation. 

"Will do, right after I try her in the sheets." 

"You fuckin'-"

"Enough of that!"

"Fine."

And then one of the guards pushed a button on the wall and a pale yellowish light flooded the closet and made the three of them blink as they were seeing each other for the first time. Loki was exceedingly surprised at how out of shape they were- both overweight and would most probably prove themselves useless if he decided to take them on. The guns were a risk, though.

"Oh, _god,_ Oh-My-GOD!" cried one of the guards as he was able to spot the mess on the floor and he put away the flashlight and covered his nose with his free hand, as if seeing it made the smell worse.

"Jesus Mary and Joseph!" said the other man and pressed an invisible device in his ear, talking to a third party that wasn't in the room: "Yeah we got him." He said as he signaled both his colleague and Loki to step out of the closet –"Caucasian male, around thirty, dressed in tight leathers and… got a hacked face. Looks like some kind of pervert or somethin'. Not the kind of person you'd wanna have in your kid's school. Took a dump in the broom closet and got it all over the janitor's uniform.  Yeah, I don't know. Oh, and there's a big hole in the roof."

"Let's go, Dracula." Said the first one to Loki, pushing him into the hallway. Loki walked with them compliantly, wishing he was being whipped now in the Asgardian dungeons, because that would have been considered enjoyable compared to the ordeal he was suffering on this planet of apes.    

*

Professor Xavier closed his eyes thoughtfully. He disconnected from Cerebro and with a heavy heart, he sent a telepathic message to Jean Grey.

~Wake up, Jean. We need to talk. It's urgent~

~On my way, Professor~

It took Jean less than 10 minutes to arrive at Xavier's study. She was hazy from sleep as it was already past two in the morning, and her red hair was hanging around her face like a mane.

"What's happening, Professor?" she asked in a practical tone, which stood in great contrast with the pink jumper she was wearing.

"It seems like a young insolent prince was cast away from Asgard and thrown down to earth."

"What? Is it Thor again?" Jean sat down on the couch and crossed her legs politely –"That big guy with the hammer? I thought he went back to where he belongs."  

"No. no." said Xavier slowly –"We are talking about his younger brother. Loki."

"Loki?" Jean tilted her head and then grimaced –"Well, how does it concern us, Professor? I'm sorry if i'm stepping out of line here, because that is not my intention, but why is that, that whenever the Gods decide to take out the trash it becomes our problem? Professor, we have enough worries as it is, this school's budget is running low by the day, and-…"

"Jean." Said Xavier patiently –"I am training you, preparing you to take my place, when the time comes. You have known this for a while now. Think. Why do we need to take Loki in? And why should we do so in a hurry?"

Jean brushed the cobwebs off her sleepy consciousness, and concentrated for a minute or so, when a sudden realisation sparked in her mind –"Because…" she said, still thinking –"If we do not, then Magneto surely will."

"Exactly." Said the professor –"And though Loki has no powers at the moment-"

"He has no powers??" Jean looked perplexed –"Then why-"  

"No, he doesn't. Not at this time." Said the professor patiently –"But they could be dormant. Hibernating. That is what I believe. He is a God, Jean. Sooner or later his powers will find a way to surface, and in Magneto's hands, they would have a disastrous potential."

"Okay." Said Jean and swallowed –"We will get him. Where is he now?" she got briskly to her feet.

"Taken by the police already, not far from here. I will text you the coordinates. Take the Blackbird. I also believe Cerebro pulled him as close as possible to our headquarters as he fell. Sometimes she just knows."

"Yes." Said Jean –"We will get him here ASAP." But as she opened the door and was about to leave, she turned once more –"Professor,"

"Yes, Jean?"

"Although in human constraints, as you said, he is still the God of Chaos. His presence alone could disrupt our balance, if he is lodged here."

"Well." Said the professor with affection –"I remember a time when I took in a young girl, who could bring down an entire building only by feeling upset. I took her in, despite the fact she could have well been the end of me, and the end of this refuge for good. And look at her now. The beautiful, complete person she has become. An inspiration to others, a role-model, an outstanding teacher and a leader soon to take my place.  Think about her, Jean, when you collect Loki."

"I will." Said Jean, nodding approvingly, and went to wake up the others.

*

The interrogation went bad enough for Loki, but then everything was going wrong for him lately so there was no point in fighting the ramifications to his deeds. Once the two security guards caught him and had him cuffed, they put him in a vehicle and drove him to the police station, where they were substituted by two other men, who were cops – something that made no difference to him whatsoever since they were all equally imbecilic. Then there were questions even his brandished tongue could not cut through, since in order to lie to Midgardians you had to be comprehensively familiar with the Midgard ways, and albeit far from ignorant on the topic, Loki had to admit he was rusty. He only got himself deeper and deeper into trouble while trying to say the right thing. And then again, he didn't have the answers to their questions, and the replies he did give just came across as weird, especially after they searched him thoroughly and found he wasn't carrying anything.

They kept him cuffed regardless, just to be on the safe side.

"No ID, no wallet, no phone- nobody leaves the house without them these days, if they aren't up to something dubious." Decided the first officer who was running the questioning as he took a seat on the desk and leaned to examine Loki from up close. He was a ginger and bald, but though the hair was absent from his head, it did sprout everywhere else on his body, including his ears and his neck. 

"I was thrown out." Muttered Loki.

"Of your home?"

"Yes."

"Which is where?" asked the officer, and Loki had no idea what to say. He was rarely this baffled, but at least in his mind he had many reasons to excuse himself for his rigidness. Starting with his useless brother and ending with the pressing fact that he was so terribly thirsty.   

"He does sound like he's from England." The second officer came to the rescue.  

"Are you from England, Cookie?" Officer Ginger gave an unpleasant smile under his ginger moustache.

"Yes." Grunted Loki.

"Where in the UK?"

"Nottingham." He tried.

"When did you fly in?"

"Yesterday."

"Without a passport or luggage? That is quite impressive." Said officer Ginger "Now why would a well-spoken man from England, supposedly, Jerry-"

"Supposedly." Agreed the second officer, whose name was maybe or maybe not 'Jerry'

"-gets on the roof of an elementary school in NY in a kinky leather outfit, and takes a shit in the closet?" finished Ginger.

"I had to go." Said Loki.

"Funny, isn't he?" said Officer#1 to Officer#2 –"He had to go. And who painted your face?"

"The tiles of the roof." Said Loki.

"Okay, alright." The detective played a little beat with his fingers on the table before clasping his two hands together as a sign of irritation –"We need answers from you. Straight, full answers. Can you manage that?"

Loki grew silent and his throat itched.

"Didn't think so." Ginger laughed humourlessly –"But we do need to know who you are before we go any further, or it won't get any easier in the next few hours. Not for us, and definitely not for you. Do you understand that, Cookie?"

"He's probably another one of them mutants, I bet." Said Jerry, who was younger and thicker looking than his partner, with blue eyes bulging from a red froggish face –"They don't have any names, these mutants. They call themselves 'Hellbringer' and 'The Tank' and 'The Dragonman' – stuff like that. What do you think his nickname is, then?"

"Hmmm…" Ginger was scratching his own chin –"He looks like 'The Panther' or somthin', but I like calling him 'Cookie' because he has such a sweet face under all those scratches and bruises."

"Yes, yes, he does." Confirmed Jerry.

"It's Peter." Said Loki, trying to buy himself some time before the beating began, because he could already _smell_ it in the ginger officer's portentous grin, and in the undertones of his crinkly voice.   

"Peter? Peter who?"

"Pan." Jerry called out, and roared with a hoarse laughter.

"It's Peter Cook." Improvised Loki, because he read once that Midgardian had last names that referred to the professions running in their ancestry.

"Peter Cook-ie!"  announced the officer –"That sounds just as made up as Peter Pan. Search him online, Jerry, and we shall see who we have the pleasure of doing business with." He turned to Loki –"Are you a mutant as my colleague suggested? Came here to New York to join your distorted friends? Well, you must learn that we have been hunting them down, one by one. And we have no intention of stopping, as the government wants to rid the city of them all. We already have to deal with the homeless, the vegans, the serial killers, the artists and the gay- we do not need any more _freaks_ around here, get it, Pete? We certainly don't need to import them from other countries. " 

Loki had not the faintest clue what the officers were rambling about, except he figured the fact they thought him a "mutant" wasn't working to his benefit.

"I'm not a mutant." He said quietly.

"Just a pervert then, who broke into a school in the middle of the night?"

"I didn't –" Tried Loki again.

"What were you doing on the roof in the first place, Peter Cookie?"

"Watching the stars." Said Loki, this wasn't even a complete lie. The places on his face where the blood had dried were stretching when he spoke.

"He's playing with us. I'm telling you, he wanted to get himself off looking at the children."

"A mutant or a pervert? Make up your mind, Jerry." Said the ginger officer, who was clearly enjoying himself.

"They're all fuckin' perverts, sir."

"Do the children go to school at night?" Loki couldn't resist asking, raising one eyebrow, and so he was punched in the face mechanically by Ginger, thrown backwards, till he tumbled to the floor, chair and all, hitting the concrete wall behind him on the way, while still restrained and helpless- his hair hiding his spiteful expression.

"Your pretty face needs more decoration, Pete? Your face would be unrecognizable when I am done with you, and then you can truly become a no-one. Is that what you were hoping for? I am best at what I do." Said Ginger, looming over him. Yes, Loki was humiliated before, and yes, he was punched in the face and thrown to the floor more times than he could recall. And yet, this was different. He was now in a human form, and it hurt badly – his throat was ragged with thirst, his nose was making sickly noises when he tried to breathe through it, and it was bubbling into his mouth, his head- pinging with shots of pain as if he was stabbed by knitting needles through his ears. He just stayed there, back against the floor, keeping his face out of sight in the shadow of his hair.  

"You wrote something on the board-" continued the cop –"that you will have your revenge."

Loki took a long time to vaguely remember what the officer was referring to.  

"And taking a shit there- that has _activism_ written all over it!" again, Jerry.

"Or insanity."

"Was that a message you were trying to get through?" asked the second policemen who was maybe and maybe not called 'Jerry' –"Like, that the Ministry of Education is shit, or that schools are shit, or-"

"Or maybe he has something personal against the janitor."

"Were you trying to threaten someone? Someones?"

What should Loki be saying now, because he truly was trying to threaten and to protest, only not in the way they assumed. He sank slightly into his shoulder blades, since his legs were halfway in the air and the chair was keeping him at 90 degrees, which all in all wasn't the most comfortable of positions. If he had had his magic, he would have fought them. He would have smashed their thick skulls like coconuts. What lesson was Odin trying to teach him? What truth? What did he say? About his brain? He had to use his brain.

"No." said Loki, suddenly –"It was a joke."

"A Joke?"

"Yes, and it was on _you_." Loki finally found a tether, and he was tying it around an amorphous idea as he was kneading it into shape experimentally, using the info the cops were generous enough to offer him on a platter.

"On us, huh?"

"Indeed. The police, the government, your rulers and your decaying society" Loki improvised –"Let all smell the shit you have been feeding your citizens for ages, and yes, I am an activist, and yes, your schools are crap, and hence the pile of excrement I left as a reminder to all, of the degeneration and the filth." And suddenly he was on a roll, although he had no idea what he was talking about –"I merely wanted to shock." 

He smiled gracefully. If they believed him to be some sort of an idealistic lunatic, perhaps they would cease to take him seriously, and perhaps this was his only way out. Yes yes, he would appear mental, and people don't mess with the mental folk, they fear them.

The cops looked befuddled, for only a moment. Then ginger crouched in front of Loki and looked him in the eye. –"What revenge are we talking about exactly?"

"I am to ignite Ragnarok." Answered Loki, without blinking. That was a truth.

"What is this Ragnarok?" inquired the cop.

"It's the end of the world."

"I guess that you didn't finish the job there, Peter, you are still full of shit." Ginger cop rose to his feet and turned to his partner –"Have you come up with anything, Jerry?" he snatched the phone from his colleague and stared at it with a poker face.

"What?" said Jerry, half- alarmed –"I've already eliminated some of the hits-he cannot be 'Peter Cook- the 80 year old gardener', obviously"

"Nevermind that." Replied Ginger and pushed the phone to his friend's chest –"He wants it the hard way, and who are we to refuse an English Gentleman." He picked up Loki by the hair, and Loki was too devastated to resist as he was dragged upwards and placed on his feet.

"Cookie," said the ginger officer into Loki's face, his breath smelled of coffee and tuna fish–"You are at a low ebb, and when the tide comes, I will hold your head under it."

Loki shut his eyes to receive another punch unflinching.

"Douglas, no, that's enough, you're losing him."  Loki heard the second officer's muffled voice through the film of his possible concussion.   

"What?"

And then there was a big _bang._

The room they were in had no windows, it was isolated from the outside world, but when a loud thunder cracked all of a sudden, and heavy rain began to descend and was audible to all of them, and Loki opened his eyes as a new hope revived him–"My brother is coming for me." He whispered with blood stained lips and leaned heavily against the wall, not minding the hand pulling his hair anymore.

"Your brother?"

"He's mad, Douglas, he's blithering!" said the froggish officer, panicking.

"Peter, who is your brother? Tell me." The ginger officer shook him in his hold.

"He is the God of Thunder." Replied Loki, smiling.


	6. Butterflies & Hurricanes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the X-Men come to rescue Loki, but in fact they lock him away. Poor thing :P

_Change,_  
Everything you are  
And everything you were  
Your number has been called  
Fights, battles have begun  
Revenge will surely come  
Your hard times are ahead

_Best,_  
You've got to be the best  
Your time is now

_[Matthew James Bellamy]_

"Officers," the radio transmitted in the Ginger's earpiece, clear for Loki to hear every word for the forced closeness–"There appears to be a… hurricane. It's coming at us fast. Take the prisoner and get a move on to the shelter. It's 5 floors down, and do not take the elevator, take the fire escape."

The cops exchanged glances.

"You will find that trying to escape is futile." gloated Loki. –"You can run, but I am staying right here."

"Can you believe this joker?"

"Shut him up."

"With pleasure." Another punch landed on Loki's lips, resonating through his front teeth and then he was herded roughly through the door and into the hallway, the two cops shoving and hurrying him forward, as he is doing his best to resist.

But the three of them didn't even make it to the lift, as what seemed to be a shot of red laser hit the two men straight in the chest and they both collapsed behind Loki, who was now facing a fit young man in a dark leather suit, not very different from the one he himself was wearing. The stranger's eyes were hidden behind shades.

Loki raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

"Nice shot." He said.

The young man ignored his remark and with his legs slightly apart and his hands on his hips he reverently recited –"I am Cyclops of the X-Men, my crew and myself are here on a rescue mission. Are you prince Loki of Asgard?"

This was just too preposterous, too bizarre to take in, and yet Loki mumbled "I am." at the stranger. He only willed at that moment to bid the laser man farewell once he got him to laser break his cuffs- but this show wasn't over as another man that looked – well-  like an _angel_ rushed into the hallway, his white wings so big they were dragging on the floor. He wore leather pants like the laser-man, but then his torso was bare-naked and glorious in its beauty like his flawless face. There was nothing human about him. Loki's mouth opened with pure admiration, for he had seen such creatures in his days, but never imagined they roamed free on Midgard. The Angel spoke in English, yet Loki didn't get any of the drivel that came out of his mouth –"Storm cannot hold them back much longer. They just called backup, and if this becomes too big of an event Magneto would put on his evening gown and crash this party-" The Angel's eyes landed on Loki and he took in a sharp breath, deserting his previous mood entirely  –"That him?"

"Yes, it's Loki." Said the man with the shades.

"Woah, I didn't think an alien would look so… ordinary!"

"It is but a disguise." Offered Loki, because he hated to disappoint.

"So what… do you usually have tentacles or-"

"Are you being serious!?" shouted the laser-man at the winged one –"Get him out of here! For crying out loud."

"Sorry, commander."

"I will meet you at the Blackbird." Ordered Cyclops and soon enough the Angel approached Loki and shrugged apologetically –"It's only a short ride…" he maneuvered awkwardly behind him and then slid his arms under Loki's armpits, and embraced his chest like a lover. The Angel's forearms were clutching one another, and Loki was tucked beneath his collarbone. The fact that the Angel was half naked and kind made it more confounding, especially after all the calamities he went through, and Loki was giddy despite himself.   

"Hey…" he protested unconvincingly, but then Angel simply took off. Well, it didn't feel all that simple exactly, since the heavy wings flapped several times with magnificent fortitude and Loki could feel every muscle pulsating in his carrier's upper body before they leapt into the air, only there wasn't enough space for the Angel to spread his wings, and this was when he broke through the ceiling. Through numerous ceilings, to be exact, one floor after the other, his enormous wings beating like sails, sending showers of glass and dismantled blocks around Loki, who was safely secured in his grip- and rather fancying the arrangement- until they finally broke into the cold of the night storm- a mixture of hail and heavy rain hit Loki in the face as they gyrated rapidly through the clouds. He wouldn't mind being in his Frost Giant skin at the moment, but without it he was as frail as a piglet and the sole heat source was the Angel's body that was holding him tightly. His carrier wasn't flying like a bird, but like an insect- Loki noted- his course in the air was angular and capricious, a drop followed by a violent takeoff, a swirl, a dive, and a somersault for dessert which turned the world upside down. And blinking lights from below and above were all dancing and they were fairies and they were fireflies in the Elysium fields. There seemed to be no particular justifications for these mad maneuvers, or maybe the Angel was just an awful pilot.  

"Alright there, your highness?" shouted the Angel over the whirling wind.

"Never better." Shouted Loki back, that was a lie.

"What?"

"I'm having a ball." This was close enough.

 The rhythmic shuddering in his carrier's chest promised Loki that the Angel was laughing. It might have been infuriating, but Loki couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at this beautiful creature. The freezing wind made his limbs numb and he found it hard, almost impossible to breathe, let alone say something anyhow.

"Not too far now, here we go." The Angel reassured, and in less than five minutes they landed ungracefully on a hill of frozen earth, next to a metal machine, that was running, engines squealing. Angel let him go very gently but he was still in the cuffs.

"You survived." Said Angel amiably.

"The will to murder you was quite an incentive." Flirted Loki.

"Haha, you're alright." Angel stroked his wet hair like someone would a child.

"Can't do anything about these, I'm afraid." He gestured towards the cuffs. Loki needn't ask any questions to know that they were abducting him, and that he has no choice but to let it happen. Falling from space, taken prisoner, beaten up, rescued, flown, and taken prisoner again. What a night he is having.

*

"Come on, get in." said the Angel and led Loki by his cuffed hands through the aircraft door. Loki saw no point in resisting, as these people (or were they the mutants the cops mentioned?) came to his rescue. He was offered a seat in the roaring aircraft, which he thankfully accepted.

"Buckle up, we will leave in two minutes." Said the Angel, the smile never leaving his candid face.

"What?"

"I'll do it, he can't really use his hands." Said a woman with a red mane, and she leaned close, and fastened a strap around his shivering body. More restraints. Where do they think he could be going at his state.

"For safety." She said in a gentle voice, and then she was in his head. It lasted but a moment, yet it felt foreign, eerie and mesmerizing, like a light draft blowing inside his skull, just brushing through. Loki was taking visits to other people's consciousness on regular basis, but to have the procedure done on him felt sickening and frighteningly invasive.

"Hmm." Said the woman, looking at him disapprovingly. Loki stared back, wide eyed. –"Give him some water, he's dehydrating." And he was handed a bottle by the laser-man called Cyclops. Loki was grateful for that as well, as his tongue felt already like chalk. He uncapped the bottle and drained it in one long series of gulps.  

"We can go, we'll pick up Storm on the way! Go go go!"

Thor wasn't coming for him after all. And then they were in the air. Loki felt the power of the engines underneath his seat and the speed the vehicle was gathering. At some point the electric door opened mid flying, the big wind was hitting them all and tilting the aircraft dangerously; and a black woman with completely white hair rolled in. She was wearing a leather black suit, just like the others.

"Good job." Said Cyclops to the white-haired lady, the door closed, and then there was more speeding, more shrieking from the aircraft slashing through the wind, and Loki held tight to the seat in front of him, because the flight in a space shuttle was nearly always very smooth, and this was a heck of a bumpy ride. Everyone seemed to be ignoring him, except for a slender young girl who offered him a towel and a shy gaze.

He grabbed the towel and ignored the staring, wiping his face stiffly. Who were these people and where were they taking him? Is this what Odin referred to when he mentioned 'Adventures on Midgard'? Was this all just a big game that he had arranged for? He knew not, but he was anxious. He hated being a pawn. Loki closed his eyes and wondered if Heimdall was watching him now, and took little comfort in knowing he was.

*

"Mission accomplished, Professor. We have him." Said Cyclops as they entered a big hall, where a bald man in a wheelchair was seemingly expecting their arrival.

"I didn't doubt you for a second. Thank you all." Said the wheeled man –"You are dismissed. I wish to see Loki and Jean alone in my study."

"Of course."

"Come along. It's okay." Said the red-headed woman named Jean and urged Loki forward. His body a pile of pain by now, he could barely get his legs to cooperate.

They walked into a cozy room, with heavy furniture. Jean signaled Loki to sit down on the crimson couch and so he did, still wet and trembling from the cold, but not nearly as bad as before.

"This won't take long" promised the professor in the wheelchair –"I know you have been through a lot, and you will have your rest. Also all your injuries will be tended to. I am really here just to answer your questions." And then he smiled at Loki. It was a soft, kind smile. It seemed sincere.  

"Are you Gods?" asked Loki, incredibly curious.

"No, we are mutants." Said the professor simply as Jean covered his shoulders with a blanket- he shuddered even more when she touched him- since every time she came close he feared another mental intrusion.

"So a type of human, then?"

 "Human, but with enhanced abilities. Born this way. Most people are unaware of our existence, and those who are- despise us and haunt us. I am sure you are familiar with the feeling."

Loki shifted in his seat –"Where am I?"

"New York. One of the biggest cities in the United States. I am professor Charles Xavier, or professor X- and my troops are called the X-Men. The facility that you are in is both our headquarters and a school for _the gifted_ \- that is what we prefer to call them. Here we train and teach others to control their powers in the best way possible. Here we offer an asylum to the gifted people that have been outcast, abandoned, mocked and tortured for their unique talents."

"I see." Said Loki thoughtfully –"Well, I do not intend to stay here, but thank you for the offer."

Jean threw a quick look at the Professor, but he was calm as before when he examined Loki's face at length, he particularly studied his eyes, and Loki knew better than to avert his gaze and so he did his own studying. The Professor had an ageless face of healthy tanned skin and aristocratic bone-structure which implied that he was noble-born. He passed as a man who could never get angry -although this was a ludicrous presumption- and still. Loki guessed he was over fifty, but the only lines on his face were delicate furrows at the edges of his eyes, only visible when he smiled.

"Your _majesty_ ," the Professor said pleasantly, not a hint of irony in using Loki's legitimate title –"This is not an offer."

"Then I do not see the point in all your fancy words, Professor, aside from wasting my time and yours."

 "I know you are over a thousand years old, Loki, but on this planet you have much to learn."

"It's just a punishment."

"I know." The Professor's tone was sympathetic which made Loki grow all the more tense.

"No, you do not." Loki was getting angry –"How can you-"

"I can read minds." Answered Xavier and he was not bragging, or putting Loki down and he was not laughing at his plight.

"You've read my mind then." Spat Loki, his words dry in his mouth, like sandpaper. Again he was longing for the cool of the dungeons in Asgard, the pleading of the other inmates and their delirious cries, the wangles he was covertly weaving under the fat heavy cane. Because no matter how hard the blows landed on his back – he was allowed to own his secrets there, and never had he felt as naked as today.

"I haven't." Xavier's soft voice shook him from his self-pitying.

"What?"

"It is your father's mind that I have read."

"He's not my father." Loki response came rapidly, as if someone's stepped on his tail.

"Well, in his mind, he is very much so." Said the ageless man, and Loki made a sound like a cough, because he was about to burst into tears right there and then, but he pretended to be choking.

"Some water, Jean."

"Yes, of course."

 Once his choking fit was over and after he had consumed a glass of cold water, Loki discovered that he _did_ want to hear what this wheeled man had to say. He listened tentatively, although the frown never left his blood stained lips.

"I am sorry this is taking so long, your majesty." Continued the professor –"I only want you to know that in this human form, you have no other choice than stay here." He paused for a second, but Loki only stared at him with awe –"And that without our help you would have been imprisoned, for decades you could not have survived in the human jail."

"I've been imprisoned before."

"I know." Once again, these two words brought together implied the clear advantage the professor had on him, and Loki's ears boiled and started to melt.  

"And _what_ , might I pry, is the difference between the jail they offer me and yours?" he stared into Xavier's face.

"The difference-" The professor wheeled closer –"is that I can help you discover how to tap into your powers. Even in this human form. You must trust us, Loki, no one here wishes to harm you in any way."

"Right." Loki played with the cuffs around his wrists –"Or maybe you fear me. Maybe you took me in because you believe that if you do not keep your eye on me I might become something that puts you and your little gang in grave danger."

"Yes. Maybe." Said the professor, and this took Loki by surprise. "I cannot control the chaos that you may bring," Said Xavier frankly –"but I can offer you a choice."

"A choice?" Loki was skeptic.

"Rather. Either to be locked in our dungeons, feared from, and treated as a monster, as a threat- or to be a resident in this household, to take part in our operations, and to become what you were once again. I strongly recommend the latter option."

Loki pondered for a long while. Then he brushed his wet hair from his face with his cuffed hands –"If I am, like you put it, a resident in this household- what will be expected of me?"

"Then," said the professor cheerfully –"we will assign you a mentor, there would be a daily routine of training, and when you are ready, you will fight with the X-Men. You will respect all of the members of this mansion, you will treat them as equals. You will take your orders from me. You will forsake all dreams of grandeur and power, and only if the Gods of Asgard wish to claim you back, will you ever be allowed to quit."

"I will be a prisoner and a slave." Said Loki.

"In short. Yes." Said the professor.

Loki took a moment before offering a half-pleasant smile.

"I accept."  

*

First he was taken to the sick bay. Jean wasn't much of a talker, at least not with him- she just sat him down on a stool and cleaned his face with cotton balls drenched in a pungent-smelling solution. Then she injected three different shots into his shoulder through his clothes, before he stopped her as she was tearing a fourth plastic cast with her teeth.

"That is quite enough, woman!"

"Really? Because I am a professional nurse and I disagree." She held the fourth needle in front of his face.

"What did you give me?"

"Not poison." She reassured –"Relax."

"What was it?"

Jean rolled her green eyes, she was a beautiful woman, but cold in each and every aspect – which made her more of a gargoyle in his eyes - "Fluids for your dehydration, antibiotics for your wounds, anti-tetanus as you have been cut by metal, and this last one- a serum for your stupidity."

"What?"

Jean laughed –"Not really. Just a serum to make you sleep." And she injected him the last needle without further ado. Loki flinched.

"I don't need- and I do _not_ appre-"

"Now." She continued –"I know you Gods heal yourselves with magic, and some mutants do too, but they are not here tonight. Plus, you have a human body, and I just treated it the way I would any human body. With… let's call it Earth magic- 'medicine'. I studied it for 15 years, and believe me, it works."

"I know what medicine is." Loki suppressed the urge to rub his sore shoulder which was hot and swollen under the leather, for his hands were still restrained.

"Don't give me that face, Asgardian. You want painkillers?"

"No need." He blurted grumpily.

"Suit yourself. I will show you to your room. Hands."

He hated the bossy attitude she had taken with him, but reached his hands forward like a child, his face the epitome of utter reluctance. Then the handcuffs clicked open and dropped to the floor and he was free. It took him a second to comprehend that Jean had done it with her telekinetic abilities. The woman was indeed a witch, and this _was_ magic. Perhaps she didn't have to study it like she did medicine, didn't have to work for it like he did in his time, but it was magic nonetheless, and she was waving it under his nose just to aggravate him, for certain, because he was suddenly flushed with envy.

"Come on, now." She said cheerfully and turned to walk towards the door. Loki followed her flaming hair with a flaming grudge in his veins. They walked through several corridors, and then up a flight of steps before reaching a long line of doors that looked all the same.

"This is you." Said Jean and Loki noticed that the number "13" was stated in two metal figures just next to a glowing little niche to the right.

"Press your thumb to the green pad and keep it there for ten seconds." Ordered Jean –"It will memorize your fingerprint."

"I don't have any." Said Loki simply. "Fingerprints."

"You don't… oh." Jean was somewhat surprised as he presented his clean-slated fingers for her to view.

"Aren't you full of twists, your highness." And this time there was irony to sting him there, like the needles she had pushed into his flesh –"Well, I guess that there's no choice but to keep this door unlocked.… It will compromise your privacy."

"It's already been compromised beyond hope." Said Loki, his voice cold.

Jean shrugged and pressed her hand to the niche to deactivate the thumb lock completely.

"You will be given a couple of days to settle it, and I will send someone to give you a tour around the mansion. Later this week, we will set you a schedule to keep you busy. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway and it is shared by everyone living on this floor. You are not allowed to any weapons. You are not allowed to leave these grounds unless-"

But Loki couldn't be arsed to hear the rest of it. He simply opened the door, walked into his chambers and slammed it behind him to get the message across. Fortunately for both of them, Jean didn't open it again.

*

Loki was used to being imprisoned, for he was the kind of creature people dreaded and couldn't handle, let alone face the things he would say; so whenever he became too much to deal with by doing something outrageous, he was simply thrown behind bars. That way they didn't have to think about him or even look at him for a while. However, this time it was a prison within a prison. Cast away onto Midgard like a loathsome parasite that even the cellars of Asgard would not welcome, and then on Midgard, taken captive by a bunch of misfits and freaks that even humans perceived as inferior! Now that was unheard of. It was really something else. But having thought that, Loki was also an escape artist, and his disappearing act was known in all the nine realms.  He was bound to perform it with the dexterity of a space sorcerer, sooner or later, and he will take his revenge, as promised, but not right now, as he just felt too limp. What kind of magic was it? To make him so very happy... a floaty feeling cradled him and made all of his worries disappear. Suddenly, too suddenly, the supple sensation was his conqueror and it was all that ever existed in this world, in all of the others, ever. He examined the bed for one second before throwing himself onto it. It was so soft and smelled of fake flowers. He cocooned himself in the comforting blanket and closed his eyes, one last shudder of absolute pleasure flowed through his every bit before he turned himself in to blissful sleep.  

*


	7. Women Seem Wicked When You're Unwanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets Kitty, Storm and Jean of the X-Men and he basically hates everyone ;)

The morning had passed and so did the noon and the afternoon without him ever knowing, so when he finally woke lightheaded and well rested it was already dark outside. The electronic screen on the nightstand told him that the time was 23:51 and his body told him that he needed the toilet again. How do these humans ever manage to get anything done having to attend their leaky organs all the time.

 He stepped out of his room and visited the bathroom for the first time- a much better facility than the floor of the broom-closet- but as he emerged in the corridor again he literally crashed into the young girl who offered him the towel on the aircraft. No, it was she who had crashed into him. It was with such momentum that both of them almost lost balance. Then, she obviously _screamed_ for five seconds straight, and once she calmed down a train of apologies was departing her mouth without hiatus.

 "There was no harm done." Loki was at his nicest, because the drug was apparently still affecting him. 

"I just went through the wall, because I was in a hurry, I forgot my phone at the pool."

"Not inside it, I hope."

"No, I don't think."

"Marvelous."  

"I'm really really so so sorry. It was just so stupid of me. I didn't think… Are you hurt?"

"Not by you."

"Okay." She glanced at his face, but due to the significant height difference between them she couldn't hold it for very long, plus she seemed so mortified she must have preferred to shun away from his regard.

 "Then good-night to you." Finished Loki, since the girl- as shocked as she was- gave no hint of aiming to end their conversation. But then someone was coming up the steps and it was the white-haired lady.

"What is this racket?"

"I… Storm! It was my fault." cried the girl –"I phased through the wall as I was running, and I just- I got scared when I bumped into him, it was my bad, I swear."

"Alright, calm down. I'm glad everything is fine. But you know better than to run when you do it, Kitty."

"I know I know, I am so sorry, I wasn't thinking-" and Loki exhaled noisily because he didn't want to hear yet another tiresome ballad of apologies, but apparently Storm didn't care too much for it too.

"And you." she turned to Loki –"What were _you_ doing in the hallway?"

"Loitering."

"Loitering." she repeated –"Well, as happy as I am to see you have recovered, you best know that you are not allowed to _loiter_ , especially not in the dead of night, before you were given specific instructions and a tour, as some parts of this mansion are restricted-"

Beneath the fogginess influenced by the drug, Loki's feral instincts were beginning to show signs of life.

"Well, if you _must_ know, Lady-" he began unpleasantly.

"The name is Aurora".

"I had to take a piss, Aurora, but I was sparing you the details of my urine going down the drain, for I am a Gentleman."

"I doubt it." she was eyeing him askance.

"Read my mind and see if I care." he returned.

"I do not read minds."

"Then I guess you'll never know." Loki turned to leave.

"Wait, Loki-"

"What is it?"

"I apologize." said Aurora simply.

"Not you too, _please_."

"No, I mean it, Loki. This is all new to you and I get it. I cannot imagine how you feel, when our job is to make your stay as comfortable as possible. This is now your home, for who knows how long."

"Not long, let us hope."

"You might like it here." Offered Kitty. She had the eyes of a neophyte who haven't had the chance to collide with reality quite yet. Then again, collision might be improbable when one keeps on phasing through solid matter. Loki ignored her comment.

"Someone from the team will come pick you up for breakfast tomorrow at 08:00." Storm changed the subject, putting her hand on Kitty's shoulder.  

"I cannot contain myself." He replied –"Just let them knock and not barge in, as the door cannot be locked, and I would hate to be caught without clothes on." This was for Kitty, who blushed intensely; because Loki could already detect her transparent yearning towards him, and he took joy in harassing her.

"What's wrong with your door, Loki?" inquired Aurora.

"Your Professor wants to keep his eye on me, but then you already know that. So unless you would like to present me with more unnecessary questions, I will be on my way."

"Fair enough." Said Storm as Loki finally got a break; hearing Kitty peeping behind him –"Cya tomorrow! Sleep well!"

*

Apart from his private quarters, Loki was given some possession, and none of them was too shabby. A phone and a laptop- he quickly learnt how to use and enjoy both. There were three sets of X-Men uniform to be worn during training or fighting. At other times the other residents of the mansion preferred dressing casually, but Loki didn't really mind the tight black leather which he knew very well and felt comfortable in, or useful at the very least- and so that was what he wore mostly. His room was rather neat and comfortable. A wall-to-wall grey carpet covered the floor, a window overlooked the vast gardens of the mansion and there were also a closet, a double bed, a desk, a chest of drawers, some shelves he was hoping to fill with books during his time spent in captivity and all in all, it wasn't too bad for a prison cell…

The promised tour was indeed given to him on his third day in the mansion. He was shown the Lobby, the Dining Room, the gardens, the training courts, the South Wing in which the school was running- they wouldn't let him inside- the garage and the docks, the sick bay, and so on and so forth. His tour guide had been the girl named Kitty who could walk through walls and crash into people without warning, and who used to forget every once in a while that he currently couldn't. She would come back to fetch him apologizing much more than needed. She was also terribly giggly around him, which probably meant that she still fancied him despite his virulence; but then his usual habit of silencing this type of giggle by shoving his cock down the throat producing it wasn't going to be considered legit in the X-Men asylum for the Gifted Gits. So be it.  

On the fourth day he was to begin his training. The mentor assigned to him was, unfortunately, Jean. He was really hoping it would be Angel. It's not that he underestimated Jean, but the fact she could read his mind was highly disturbing. Plus, she was clever. And she was Xavier's right hand. He couldn't trust her, he couldn't feel comfortable around her and he couldn't even use his manly charms with her, as her boyfriend was always patrolling nearby like a man on a mission. Throughout the centuries Loki discovered he had quite a talent when it came to seduction, but this woman was a wall of bricks, and her boyfriend, Cyclops, was a building.

For his debut session Jean took him to a place called "The Danger Room". It was a confined space with no windows or visible furniture, in which computer generated images and locations were conjured for fighting and practicing purposes. Much less useful than magic, but these people were the wizards of Midgard, and that was the best they could muster.

"You very well know I am deprived of my powers." Said Loki grimly –"Why have you brought me here?"

"Not to moan over it, for sure." Said Jean –"Now, you must be familiar with weapons. What will it be, Loki?"

"Daggers." He huffed, disliking her tone, and her posture – haughty from shoulders to ankles.

"Daggers it is, then." She walked to the wall and typed something into the upright keyboard, a couple of bricks shifted as a tray emerged from inside the wall, loaded with sets of shiny daggers of all kinds, sizes and shapes. He wasn't happy with any of them. They were Midgard style and they lacked imagination, not curled enough, not cruel enough, and hardly sharp in the way he preferred. Asgardian daggers were as thin as paper, as thin as hair, so refined the victims didn't even notice they were sliced before they bled to death. But these were still daggers, and Loki liked them for what they were.

"Are they real, or just an illusion?" he inquired curiously.

"What difference does it make?"

"Well-"

"You will not be carrying one in this mansion, Loki. However, in this room you are allowed to use them."

"To what end?" he inquired again, his body getting tense.

"You heard the Professor. Your powers are dormant. We are here to wake them up."

"Are you not afraid that having me in full power would endanger all of you?"

"The professor is not afraid." Jean picked her words carefully, for sure. Loki grinned and picked up two twin daggers, arm length. We swung them through the air several times, testing the balance and the grip. It felt good.

"Very well." he said –"Shall we?"

"Yes. Let's do this." Jean had picked up no weapon, and when the room came to life, placing them in what seemed to be an abandoned factory, Loki scarcely managed to draw the daggers out of the back of his belt before they both jolted out of his hold and were floating in mid-air, by the telekinetic powers of Jean.

Loki frowned because this was just unfair–"You have the clear advantage." He said –"No need to show off." The daggers spun in the air and were now targeting Loki's neck on both sides. He leapt, flipped backwards gracefully and kicked one of them into an empty wooden case that was lying around. As he landed on his feet, the second dagger was zooming at him, and Loki ducked and jerked away in the nick of time. He was about to lunge at Jean when he realised the first dagger was now at his crotch, hovering there with a waspish jitter.

"Game over." Said Jean coolly.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Loki –"We've only just begun! You call this training, Woman?" and he was truly broiling with anger at this instant, forgetting how revenge should be served frozen.  

"Yes." She replied –"Now you know why we call it 'The Danger Room' – It's dangerous."

"Surely we can continue-" He grumbled.

"From where I stand, this fight is way over." Said Jean –"Or do you expect me to pity you? Because if this was a real fight, you would have been dead already."

"Castrated." He corrected, eying the sharp tip of the knife jeopardizing his virility.   

"And are you not the type of man who considers himself fucked if he cannot fuck?"

"Are you asking or making an outlandish statement?" he almost growled. As much as Loki enjoyed brawls, he didn't like engaging in them while a sharp object was pointing at his dick, plus the woman was a menace. She had something personal against him, and whatever she saw in his mind on the aircraft the other night made her form an indelible opinion of his character. And it wasn't flattering.

"You are the only outlander here." Said she.

"Right." Said Loki, knowing now she never wanted to train him, let alone help his powers reemerge. She probably disliked being his mentor as much as he disliked her being it.  

"I'll see you at the dining room, for lunch." Said Jean, and before Loki could answer the room was stripped of all its illusions, including the daggers.

*


	8. The Soul-Sucking Succubus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets Rogue of the X-Men for the first time, and sparks are flying :P <3

Alongside his "training", Loki got to know the other members of the X-Men, and he learnt to appreciate their powers, and sometimes he even approved of their personalities, as they were not very different from the Gods he grew up with, after all.

There was Storm, the lady with the deep voice who could control the weather, like his brother. There was Angel, the happy-go-lucky winged man with the cocky attitude and the big mouth- he liked him the best, because he was honest to his core. There was Kitty- the nervous teenager whose powers were to run through concrete and who gave Loki the doe-eye, wishing in vain that he would touch her, but hardly strong enough to contain his sexual wrath- it was better to pretend she never existed. There was Bobby the Iceman who could freeze things, like a Jotun, and actually thought it was a good thing, probably because his brain was the size of an acorn. There was Jean the telepathic bitch, and her jealous seemingly perfect boyfriend who could shoot laser from his eyes and therefore had to keep them behind shades – Cyclops. And that was about it, although at times Loki heard there were others, other mutants that would come and go as they pleased. This, of course, intrigued him the most. If there was a home here for mutants, why would they leave? Why would they even want to deal with a human society that hated them and rejected them and wanted to annihilate them?

He didn't have to wait too long for an answer. After two whole weeks at the mansion, he woke up late one day and missed breakfast. It was not unlike him, but ever since he came to the mansion he was kept on a tight schedule and rarely slept in. This, however, was a Saturday and his human form got tired way too often and needed rest in ways and amounts he had not known before. It was already half eight as he made his way downstairs, in a sulky mood, which did not improve when he examined the kitchen and discovered the only option to satisfy his hunger was the abomination called "cornflakes".   

He filled a bowl and strode to the dining table, where he took a seat with a sigh before noticing there was an unfamiliar girl sitting opposite him. A Goth, by the look of her, in dark heavy sweaters and long linen black gloves that stretched all the way to her elbows, strands of white in her auburn hair despite her fairly childlike face, with luscious lips, painted pink. She was reading the newspaper and chewing on sausages and beans. She got decent food, then? Why couldn't he?

"Ahm." said Loki. The girl didn't raise her head.

"I don't believe we were introduced." tried Loki, again.

"Just what you could expect of this place, right?" she told him, or perhaps she was talking to an invisible audience, pushing two more sausages into her mouth –"Stale meat and no forks. Where do all the forks go? They get sucked into a wormhole with all the socks and pens and x-lovers! Gone forever."

"A wormhole?" asked Loki, interested, although he wasn't positively sure how the socks came to play in this equation.

"They go to space." insisted the girl, turning the pages of a newspaper she wasn't really reading –"And they never come back. Or they come back tainted."

"The socks?" tried Loki.

"The lot of them!" her flipping became impatient, almost ripping at the thin pages, and she still didn't raise her eyes to even see him. He focused on her gloves, which didn't make it any easier for her to handle the paper; though it was obviously not _that_ that she was frustrated about.

"I fell into a wormhole- once. In fact, it was more than once-"

"Good for you." She cut him off.

Loki was taken aback by this insolence, and he was about to ricochet- but then he remembered that he was no prince here, and nobody cared about his heritage, or his titles, or his majesty, or lack thereof… he was just a human in a human form, and he had to act accordingly. Otherwise there would be no hope.

"It did not feel particularly good." he admitted, stirring his cornflakes with his spoon clinking against the rims of the bowl –"It was more like being sucked through a tube and leaving your head behind."

"It's still screwed on though."

"What?"

"Your head, Sugah." said the girl "Although the things you say do make you wonder." And then she picked up a can of soda, tilted it into her throat and downed the sausages in three huge gulps, finishing with an impressive burp. Why, even Sif was rarely that odious.

Loki plainly stared at her in a blend of abhorrence and disbelief. The silence- not the attempts at sparking a conversation- was ironically what made her finally raise her head. Her eyes were the colour of olives, under heavy makeup and big lashes, and they were hurt. Loki had momentarily cramped under that look, and he suddenly wished that she retained her former position, but it was too late.

"What turned your radio off?" she started, but then suddenly quit, presumably finding his appearance- which she was seeing for the first time- somewhat startling, or at least eccentric, for she had squinted her eyes and put down the soda –"Are you… a trainee?" she muttered, and then –"No, you don't look like one. You look like a badass, and your nose had been broken a few times, right? Are you a mercenary? Is it that far gone already?" again, not waiting for an answer "You know what, this place has really gone to shits. They need to hire people now?" and then her gaze was faraway again, shut down like a music-box that ran off spring.

"I am Loki of Asgard." he said in a quiet, yet official tone. Was he trying to make an impression? Because if so, it wasn't going for him. She just blankly ignored his statement. 

"Let's try this again." he said, shoving the bowl aside and spilling more venom into his voice because her rudeness was just beginning to get on his nerves –"I'm no mercenary and no trainee, but a _prisoner_. I am Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Asgard. And who are _you_ , lady?"

"Anna-Marie of Fuckhole Mississippi, and I am _no_ lady, as you are no prince" and a crooked smile fluttered upon her lips. Was she teasing him? Loki didn't know. But he did know he was glaring at her. However, since she was right, there was nothing more to add for a moment. It was only her attitude that made him nearly tip over like he was trying a chair that was missing a leg. 

"Well, Anna-Marie-" Loki cleared his throat –"I see they'd taught you no manners in Fuckhole."

"I can't really remember- I gotta say - because I was so young and gullible then, but if they did, I discovered they were pointless."

"How come?"

"Because they never get you to the bottom of things."

"What is the bottom of things?"

"The truth." answered Anna-Marie and fiddled with the newspaper.  

Loki gave a dishonest smile of his own –"You'd be surprised at just how trivial the truth could be at times."

"At times, maybe. But at other times when you think it's not important, and you want to ignore it, because it's evil and maybe you fear it, it's just waiting in the shades until one day it wakes up and it haunts you down and takes you down and drags you down with it, to the bottom of things, where you should have investigated in the first place, but you didn't, because you were just too _polite_ to ask. So fuck my manners, Prince-Low-Key-Whatever."

Her crescendo of a speech dropped near the end and was sealed with a full stop, yet the tension in her shoulders and her neck remained. Though the words hardly made any sense, he guessed this was all about an x-lover, not about truths. As much as he found her looks pleasing, more enticing was the fact he could effortlessly bring her to tears. He dallied with the thought for a few spectacular seconds, but then decided he had not the will to pick at her wounds quite yet. Anna-Marie was definitely worked up now without his assistance, she had crumpled the can in her gloved hand.

"I believe I lost you." Loki tried to catch her eyes but they were watching the dimensions of the past, which were private and out of his reach.

"I believe you never had me, Sugah." said she, and now _this_ had made him smile for real; for she clearly had not meant to flirt with him, she sort of stumbled into it.

"I am starting to get an idea of what it would be like." he said cruelly–"To have you." Her eyes grew bigger minutely, before they found his steady gaze again, and hit it with a blast of contempt.

"You sure know how to flatter a girl."

"I know how to get her attention." remarked Loki.

"And now that you have it," Marie was folding her arms –"What is it you want?"

"To learn about her loyalties to this place."

Marie chuckled, clearly surprised by his answer –"My 'loyalties'? I don't get sentimental about places."

"Then perhaps people?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"I do, don't I." he measured her intently and noted she was doing the same –"Then do you come here to fight for the people who live here, or for their lost causes, just to play the good friend?"  

 "I needed a place to stay once we broke up for good. That's it."

"That is half a lie there." he said, basking in the unexpected thrill. Marie shook her head from side to side and pursed her lips, that were greasy.

"Just because something is against the odds, doesn't mean it isn't worth fighting for-"

"That's a complete lie." Loki pointed out.

Anna-Marie was fully blushing now, and her expression heated. Loki was just talented like that around women.

"I think I just lost my appetite, asshole."

"Now, _that_ I can believe." said Loki as the girl with massive, painted green eyelids was leaving the table, and she tossed a half-chewed sausage smeared with lipstick back into the plate.

"You know what it would be like? Having you?" he managed to say as she was rising from the chair –"Like bottling a hurricane"; and he leaned back to assess her full height, and her curves.

"You should be so lucky."

"I should be. Lucky Loki." He muttered to himself sourly while staring at her buttocks as she left. Tough woman, but not the toughest, because out there in Fuckhole, Mississippi, they failed to teach her how manners were crucial when one needed to control their temper. No matter . He had just met her on a bad day, but that wasn't irreparable. And why was he even thinking about it?

"Ahahaha!" thundered a laugh behind him, and a hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed it. It was Angel.

Loki just pushed the hand away, but Angel invited himself to join him and took a chair to sit next to him.

"What the hell did you say to send that bird flying?"

"What?"

"Rogue." said Angel 

"Rogue?"

"The girl who was just here and was stupid enough to abandon a heap of hotdogs" Angel winked –"Come on, tell me. I just saw your look piercing holes in her leggings. "

"Oh, shut up." said Loki, but he smiled anyway –"Our communication went ill."

Angel patted Loki on his cheek, his light blue eyes sympathetic –"Happens to you often, I can see why they kicked you out."

"Do you now."

"Seriously? No. You're a cool guy once you get past the cynicism and the condescendence and the general nastiness. So what did you say to offend her?"

"I do not believe this was my doing. I merely helped a little." He had to admit it to himself that the interaction with Rogue was a refreshing turn in his forced holiday. The venting channel for his cheekiness leaving him gleefully drained, but also curious to an extent that made him forget how much derision he bore towards the earthlings.

Angel shook his head –"Boy oh boy."

"It wasn't that bad. Mostly I was a gentleman and I was kind and gracious. I already said, she was initially pissed off when I came in, and it had nothing to do with me, it was about her former lover and some forks." promised Loki in the most emollient tone, but then his eyes were rolling out of habit, for whenever he had to explain himself, he was automatically defensive.  

To that Angel only blinked once as if a bucket of water was splashed on his head "Silly me. It's not just her body you like."

Taken by surprise, Loki straightened a couple of inches in his seat, embarrassed, for not being able to master the Midgardian speech.

"What makes you say that."

"Just a hunch." Angel shrugged –"Or maybe I know you by now better than you'd like to be known. So … are you interested? In her?" Angel was so expressive when he was worried, it was almost as if he was over-acting, with his brow squeezing so low above his shiny eyes.

"No, not interested." answered Loki, chin up.

"Liar."

There were a couple moments of silent chewing, before Loki was just too intrigued, so he swooped in again: "But if I were- _interested_ \- "  

Angel dropped his half-eaten sausage "Oh, you bad bad alien, No!" Angel waved his finger at the trickster –"You don't wanna mess around with the soul-sucking succubus". Angel obviously tried to sound authoritative, but he was cutely falling apart at the seams in the effort of trying to protect Loki from a lady. Now, that was just ridiculous to begin with.

"The _what_?" Loki couldn't help laughing –"The soul- - what was that term again? I liked it."

"It doesn't matter." sputtered Angel –"You can look, but do not touch. Whatever you do, you keep away from her hands-"

"Her hands?"

Truth be told, the conversations with Angel were always comical, but seeing him this scared was even better. The more Loki expressed his appeal to the female mutant, the more Angel was pushed into panic.

"Loki, come on- you best stay away from her. She's a disaster. Like, I mean it, dude, she is the devil woman, please, and she cannot have sex anyways, so _please_ , just let it go" said Angel and his great shoulders swayed under his wings as he folded them, sending a gust through Loki's hair at the process. "And what is it about women all of a sudden? I thought you were into men."

"Really." Loki glowered –"I know you Midgardians find it difficult to absorb, but I see no difference."

 "Figures." Angel hurried to respond –"Sorry, mate." He nudged him gently by the shoulder –"You're far more advanced than all of us."  

"Hold your nonsensical adulation and tell me more." demanded Loki.

"Ppfftt… Don't get me wrong, okay?" Angel ate the sausage covered in lipstick –"I like Rogue, she's fine, and a hell of a warrior, ide say. But… ever since I joined, she was always hanging with this Remy dude, called himself "Gambit". He could shoot electricity from his fingers. I mean, literally. They were always together. Either fighting or fucking. I hardly ever got to know her personality. None of us did-"

Loki raised an eyebrow –"I thought you said she couldn't have sex."

"Yep, she can kill with a touch, so that kinda eliminates the possibility... dunno what was there between her and Remy, but she's killed most of her lovers, so I hear. You don't wanna- damn, this hotdog tastes weird-"

"Okay, now I'm definitely interested." Said Loki earnestly, and he was smiling.

*


	9. Love Is a Losing Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rogue and Loki clash :P

 

_Over futile odds_  
_And laughed at by the gods_  
_And now the final frame_  
_Love is a losing game_

**_[Amy Winehouse]_ **

Two days had passed before he saw Rogue again. This time in the lobby, in the afternoon, as he was studying the furniture for lack of anything else to do, and he was playing with the idea of planting nine inch nails upside down into Jean's favourite couch. He would have done that truly, if not for the surveillance cameras he assumed were fixed in some of the corners and strategic spots of the mansion. Come to think of it, he really should dedicate his abundant spare time to discovering their locations and covering them in egg yolk. That should surpass mental masturbation. And then he heard Rogue's voice, which he could recognize by now: a nasal croon with a Southern edge to it, just a pitch down from most females'. She was on her phone, arguing loudly, coming in and pacing back and forth as if on display. She was in leggings again, but a slump t-shirt hid most of her figure, and a pair of brown woolen gloves covered her hands and arms, protecting others from her deadly touch. He made way to the kitchen from which he could still hear her voice, irritated and chiding. He opened the fridge for no reason, stared into it dully, listening. What was she saying?

"No, I'm back with the X-Men now." Sure she is.

Silence for a while, and then –"You will not see me again, do you understand? It did nothing good to any of us, ever." The clear message of the words was contrasted with something like a mournful litany of love, cloaked behind the harshness. But perhaps it was undetectable to most people, and he doubted the man on the other end could extract the notes rolling in the deep or translate them into something informative.

Nevertheless, the other man was indeed talking - possibly attempting to coax his ex-lover into a more yielding mood- for there was another long pause.  And then, her voice much softer as though she were a medium channeling a spirit, and her body was a hollow vessel –"No, _Remy_ , no. You promised, you've sworn to me, I never take these kinds of chances, but I did with you. Of course I do, yes, I still dream about you every night…" ah, good for this Remy then. Loki felt an urge to interfere at that point, but there apparently was no need.

"You fucking son of a bitch, you don't do this to me! You don't do this to anyone. A man should not have a girlfriend AND a wife, it's not that complicated, really. I'm hanging up!"

Silence again, then the sound of her mobile phone going off. She let it ring for a while, and then it went quiet. Then there were footsteps nearing the kitchen- her boots. Loki knew there was no point in hiding his presence- she probably noticed him when she went inside anyways- so he shut the fridge and beamed at her –"Problems with the ex?" he suggested.

Rogue didn't even look surprised that he had overheard the conversation. She also didn't seem to be holding any grudge toward him for their previous encounter. "As always. There should be beer in there, do you mind?"  

"Your manners are still slacking."

"Please." She said ironically, but he liked the melody of that particular word coming from her anyhow. Because while the word was currently void, he believed there will come a time when he shall make her plead sincerely.   

Loki reopened the fridge promptly, fumbled for a bottle of beer and handed it to Rogue. She popped the cap skillfully using the pressure of the counter –"Thanks."

She took one small sip and wiped her lips with the back of her gloved hand, then she sat on a stool but her eyes were roving with unease.

"Better?" asked Loki with the tinge of hilarity under his voice.

 "Well, what do you think, Spaceboy. Shit!" Rogue slammed the bottle against the counter, and it sprayed, immediately foaming with suds that erupted through its neck in a gush, flooding the surface and dribbling to the floor.

"How unfortunate." Said Loki –"Shouldn't we-"  

"Fuck that!" fumed Rogue, in complete disproportion to the mishap –"You're a man, aren't you?!"

This had been the second time in two days that someone in the mansion was questioning his masculinity and made that into an issue. No one ever did, in Asgard. There, the Gods wore myriad shapes and forms, alien to the human eye, but natural in his home ground. He lay with giants, and animals, and demons and spirits… he didn't really mind their gender, and they didn't mind his. An attractive being was an attractive being and that was it.  His sexual cravings were lucid and ever-changing, as were the appearances he chose to wear. However, he did have one favourite disguise, which he was now stuck in with no ability to shapeshift thanks to his dear father: The lean flexible and tall humanoid with pale skin, big eyes, and long dark hair, that the Midgardians clearly found confusing. Well, there was nothing wrong with confusion. Let them be confused.

"I am currently." He said to Rouge, but she didn't even care for his answer, for she only wanted someone to listen to her rant.

"Would you like to explain to me why all of you are such bastards and scums and complete douchebags?" again, she didn't wait for an answer. Loki wasn't even sure what a douchebag was, although it didn't sound like a praise. –"If you had a girl, that you loved, and loved you back, and you were dating her for years, and you would ask her- you would even gather the nerve to ASK- ahhh. Nevermind." Rouge twisted her lips to one side, the wind leaving her sails so abruptly- and then her phone went off again. She picked it up and then walked towards the fridge stiffly, opened the freezer, placed it in there and sealed the door with a thump.

"They sometimes just don't know when to STOP CALLING!" she hollered at the freezer.

Loki tried to hide his grin. He could sense that under her obvious, genuine distress, and the real story she was playing a main part in with a guy called "Remy", this Rogue hurricane also had a flair for the dramatic, and this act was aimed for him. For Loki. Perhaps she liked him, perhaps she needed recognition from the surroundings, or maybe she just could not control herself around men in general and hence her question – _"You are a man, aren't you?"_ just to make certain, that he was worth putting on a show for. Lovely.

"You never finished your question, or your beer." noted Loki.

"Yeah, maybe I don't want to anymore." said Rogue. She leaned against the fridge in her oversized shirt and her leggings and her gloves resting to the sides of her tight body.

"Who are you, anyway? And what are you doing here?" she asked.

Finally, curiosity. But then again, Loki inferred this was just instinct and not honest interest. Rouge's eyes had no glint in them, if anything, she just looked sad and beat, and it was clear that her olive eyes were recently drenched in tears. Then, paradoxically, her body did sway ever-so-slightly against the fridge, like a cat begging for its back to be rubbed, but then _again_ … it could have been just his imagination, and the heat he suddenly felt. Loki never needed much to be aroused, and after two and a half weeks on Midgard, being constantly followed, with no chance of release, he was in a bad enough state to fuck the fridge.

"I told you already, Miss Anna-Marie-Rogue-"

"It's just Rogue. Or Marie. Or Anna"

Loki tilted his head –"You don't know your own name?"

"Like all the best girls, I have many; and I cannot decide at which time which one is the right one."

~They are all wrong~ thought Loki, but he went back to her original question and told her he was Loki of Asgard, a prisoner taken by the X-Men, although it did hurt him to introduce himself as such. She gave a devious smile and Loki could have sworn it was aimed to lure.

"That part I do remember, Sugah. It was not what I meant." said Rouge –"How about you tell me the rest of your story?"

"Stories are for bedtime." said Loki. He did not mean saying that especially, but her attire and her tone, and her raw sexuality just invited it.

"If they be good." replied Rogue, unblinking –"Otherwise, the maiden falls asleep."

Is she really throwing herself at him? After everything Angel had told Loki about this woman, it made no sense, but here she was, exhibiting her body teasingly and calling him "Sugar", which was rather annoying if not provoking; and if she could be touched he would have taken her by now. Just to get this over with and not be dragged into this tiresome Midgard game, that evidently smelled like a trap. The phone in the freezer started ringing again.

" _Someone_ is trying to keep you awake." Said Loki.

"And yet, he is keeping me away." Said Rogue, appearing distracted.  

"When he should have kept you close." He cringed at his own assertion as soon as it left his tongue because it was simply terrible. _That_ he did not expect of himself- but then his tongue was only tasting the air again, feeling for the direction of the gales. Or maybe it was his loins talking, his cock, definitely not his brain. What did Odin say about his brains? His brain was his only way out of this, because his cock was never to be trusted.

"It was too much for him." Said Rogue. And Loki was swiftly aggravated, because there was a man standing between them, not a force.

"Which part was too much? I wonder. The chattering? The drama? Your poor manners, or just the fact he couldn't touch you?" Oh, that was mean of him, but then he couldn't get over himself. His words were prioritizing the default route, against his will- whatever that was- and they were raving aimlessly in the swamp of jeer, where he was now sinking.

A dark cloud had transformed Rogue's face, moulding her features from the broken-hearted tart into the warrior he was told she was. When she was fighting. Was she seriously going to fight him? That should be entertaining.

"That was hurtful." Her face showed him how unhappy she was to learn he already knew her not-so-secret secret.

"Was it?" Loki stepped to the sink and poured himself a glass of water, preparing for battle. It should happen any second now, ~and then we shall see whether you can really kill with a touch, Lady~.

"You know it was." Rogue bristled –"Why would you even say that?"

"Because it's true."

"You said you didn't care for the truth."  

"And yet you let it get to you."

There was a pause in which Rogue squinted her eyes as if she was trying to figure out whether he was teasing her or picking a fight. A query he himself could not answer.

"A bastard, a douchbag and a scum, all in one." said Rogue. "Full house."  

Loki was glowing, as they positively sounded like compliments now, his heart was dancing like a merry fairy -"You appear offended." He drained the glass in two gulps and placed it on the counter.

"I _am_ offended." She puffed.

"That may be so because you choose to be. Seeking consolation in a stranger is not a smart move, Marie. You can never know what to expect." pestered Loki, and gods, was he enjoying himself, for the first time since he came to Midgard, his mental muscles stretching and sensing the hazard in the air, wanting to pull more on the strings of his wild side.

"I never seek consolation from anyone."

"So what is it?" Loki moved closer to her position against the fridge –"The abandoned mutant is longing for some male attention." he continued, cruelly –"Where would she get it? No, not Angel. Too boring and kind of stupid, he is an open book. Scott? Handsome, manly, but he is spoken for and the bitch would never allow you near him. Bobby is just a thick teenager. He wouldn't do, now, would he? And the professor in the wheelchair… too dangerous and way too old for her- could he even deliver in the bedroom? Probably not. So she goes for the _prisoner_." Now that he started working his tongue, he couldn't stop, there was no reason to. Up on a high with a burr under his scalp that made the roots of his hair fluctuate to an inaudible lilt, Loki was way too far in to abort his endeavor.

"Because," His voice so gritty, foreign to his own ears –"on top of everything, perhaps she holds a dark side under her garments, that gravitates her towards despicable males."  

Rogue was practically panting now, and her body held no trace of its smooth and willful former manner, but it was a compact bomb of hatred waiting to burst, and Loki wished for that explosion to transpire, because the other kind he just was unable to evoke.

"But then the bait was not so bitable, as it –"

"You know what? You're not worth it, you piece of space garbage. Shoulda realized it last time we spoke. Find someone else to throw your shit at."

And with that Rogue was about to depart. She pushed herself off the fridge and aimed to step forward, but Loki was not going to let it happen. He blocked her path deliberately.

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching you some manners." He was beyond thinking when he reached out and placed both his palms against the fridge, to the sides of her head, locking her in an impromptu cage. He loomed over her gnarling –"That is hardly the way to end a civilized conversation, Mar-" he stopped dead when Rogue removed her glove in one go, and then she was at him like a manic blizzard. He was thrown against a tap, and a rack of dishes, a grunt breaking from his lips and then a touch was glued to the left side of his throat, paralyzing and cold, drinking him like a vampire, although it was not blood that it was sucking. It was only a moment, some seconds before he clung desperately unto her arm. His brain, his precious brain was seeping out of him through the five straws of her fingers, his thoughts were robbed, ripped from his mind with a force merciless and unintelligible, and his life pulse was also leaving, making his human body as heavy as a rock, and as unyielding.

He coughed once, let go, and dropped to the kitchen floor like a sack of flour, puffing as he landed, and wincing when his skull greeted the marble underneath with a nasty sound. Then reality escaped him, and his brain gave in- blacking out utterly.  

 *


	10. I'll Give You Something to Remember Me By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue feels bad for what she did to Loki. Well, maybe not *entirely* bad... :P

_Don't say nothing, I'll speak for two_  
_I'll do the lying, you just walk through_  
_It ain't no crime, that's what we do_  
_Ain't that what we do?_

**_[Keren Ann]_ **

There was a moment of silent staring: Rogue was towering above the alien extended on the kitchen floor, who in death appeared nothing but tranquil and stately. Then came hysteria:  "Oh no! No!" she cried and instinctively slipped her glove back on–"Help! Please guys, help!" dry sobs were stuck in her throat, as the thought of her hand and its actions filled her with total disgust. She wanted it dissevered, yanked out, because it always ended up like that. And suddenly she was a teenager again, back in her bedroom with Cody, who lost consciousness after their first kiss. No, it was worse… she had sent him into a coma which he never recovered from, and there it was again: her lack of control, the power surging in her veins that distorted and maneuvered her intentions, that craved all the energy in all the universe, and more. Always more. For no matter how strong Rogue would become, that bottomless pit ever needed to be stuffed, and it was impossible to satisfy. And Loki… oh, Christ, sure, he was annoying, he deserved a punch in the face, a slap across his snobbish cheekbones, a kick in the balls- something of that sort. But never this. Not this! Rogue cried for help again, then thought about crouching next to him and estimate how dead he was- but on second thought, that wasn't such a good idea for her to get near him. It wasn't a good idea to get near him in the first place. Her sense of logic dissipated into a dismal ocean of self-loathing and horror. With nothing efficient in her power left to be done, she gave a strident shriek that was so loud the kitchen windows would have caved in surely, if they weren't bulletproof.

It was Storm who rushed in, looking alarmed. She spotted the dripping beer, and then Rogue, and then the body on the floor. "What have you done, Marie?" she rebuked the frightened mutant.  

"I… well, he _attacked me_ … and I-" that was a crude lie. She took a deep breath and started again –"He said mean things…"

"Well, that's kind of what he does!" said Storm in a stone-cold voice –"You are not a child, Rogue. You should know better than losing your temper with trainees." Storm crouched near Loki and checked his pulse. She closed her eyes for a moment, relieved. Rogue was also relieved and started sobbing again, only she kept it discreet.

"A trainee?" she muttered through her tears "Is he a trainee? I thought he was… " stammered Rogue, but no one was listening.

Jean was next to arrive.

"What happened?"

"Take him to the sickbay." Said Storm –"He's okay. I am gonna have a chat with Rogue."

And it was at that moment, that Rogue knew what being sucked into a tube and leaving your head behind felt like, and it had left her deflated.  

*

Storm and Rogue were having ice-cream together, at the mall- just a meaningless evening out, if the circumstances were different, but then they were quite dire. Storm chose this setting probably because she wanted Rogue to calm down, but there was no coming down from this. The horror of her latest actions made Rogue's fingers shake constantly, and she was keeping them folded in her gloves, covered, locked, like dangerous animals. They would have to be locked forever. Perhaps frozen into icicles and broken one by one. She should not be allowed to have them at hand. She should not be allowed to have hands whatsoever. She felt so miserable. So fucking damned. Storm picked the strawberry, and Rogue the chocolate, but they were just playing with it from the minute they sat down. Rogue was still on the verge of tears, and the entire scenery was surreal in her eyes: the laughing children running around and riding a mechanical horse, families chatting over trays of pizza, couples holding hands on the escalator; and the ice-cream salesman, who'd put his phone number on the receipt he handed them. There was no calming down in this.

"I could have killed-" started Rogue, and a large tear slid down her nose and met her untouched ice-cream bowl.   

"No, you wouldn't, and you didn't. I overacted. I am sorry, Marie. He is okay. He really is." Promised Storm with a fair amount of empathy.

"Is he really, tho?" Rogue blinked, because she was about to say she was leaving the asylum for good. If they had taught her something in Fuckhole, Mississippi, it was to never look back, never return the way you've walked before, but then there she was – back with the X-Men, breaking people and things, and she was needles and pins –"I did not mean-"

"Enough of that, Marie. He will get over in in no-time. I wouldn't lie to you. However, I didn't have a chance to tell you the entire truth: he is a God. You cannot damage their kind so easily. He'll be just fine."

"What?" Rogue was perplexed and frankly more than a bit angry –"You told me he was an X-Men trainee, and he told me something entirely different, by the way." The fog in her head was clearing a little, making room for sheer prying.

"I will explain in just a moment," Storm inhaled deeply –"But before I do, I just want to know what's going on with you. Why are you acting like you have no control over your powers again, when I know it to be false?"

"I…" Rogue started but then rolled her eyes, because she didn't know how to approach the question. It has been years since she had lost control in such a manner, and there was no good excuse to what happened, but then a ripple of excitement vibrated in the back of her neck as she thought about _lying,_ and it was so sudden and so overtaking, that she did.

"I was going to make out with him, but then when I put my hand on him, something weird happened, and I couldn't let go or stop it." That was half a lie.  

Storm squinted her eyes –"You were going to do WHAT?"

"Kiss him." Continued Rogue, because the ripple has now turned into an undercurrent, and it was pulling her along with it –"Or have him kiss me, it was kind of an impulse, I admit, but we were having a sexy moment, and there was a buildup, and then I just went for it- and then- well, I couldn't break away-" She blushed, since she was embarrassed by this involuntary counseling session to begin with, and the lying didn't help in keeping her composed; but then it seemed that Storm mistook the pinkish hue in her cheeks to be triggered by the things she was saying.

Storm blinked slowly and leaned forward so that the people around them wouldn't hear "Marie, as far as I can remember kissing isn't something you can allow yourself to do without taking precautions-"

"Yeah, I know."

"And why would you take your glove off?"

Rogue had to think about that one, and she was about to come clean because there was really nothing that could have justified that irresponsible move, but when she opened her mouth another lie poured out –"I needed to get the ice out of the ice cube tray, because the beer wasn't cold, but then it all happened, like I told you. I even left my phone there."

"Where?"

"In the freezer."

"In the freezer!?"

"Yeah."

Storm shook her head thoughtfully –"I have to say… this sounds like-"

"Like what?" Rogue panicked.

"Like the Rogue I knew 5 or 6 years ago… what's going on? You mean to tell me that this was just a… sexident?"

Rogue was blushing yet more deeply –"Please don't tell the others, Aurora. I beg you. I'm in the headlights as it is, and Jean… well, she wasn't very welcoming when I came back to stay with you. Please, Aurora. Pretty pretty please?"   

Storm waved her hand as though she were chasing off a fly -"Stop it, Marie. You know I am your friend." Her tone was warm, but it wasn't one bit happy –"I want you to acknowledge that all of our powers are also weaknesses. We all suffer the same fate, and we deal with it. So you get it together again, and you do it _fast_. You don't have any other choice."

"I'm sorry, you're right." Said Rogue apologetically –"It's this Remy thing, I forget-". That was almost accurate.

"There's no time to forget." Said Storm solemnly –"Magneto is joining forces. He's about to hit us again soon."

"What does he want now?" asked Rogue with a sigh, somewhat happy they weren't discussing her fluke anymore.

"I believe he wants Jean." Said Storm –"He's always felt she was his greatest discovery, back in the days him and Xavier worked together, and lately she has been getting stronger, so-"

"I'm in." Said Rogue –"I'm in. whatever you need."

"Are you sure?" asked Storm –"Because another relapse like today, Marie, and I would be forced to tell them-"  

"I am sure. Time off the X-Men hardly did me any good. You know that, Aurora."

"Great, then." Said Storm, surprised.

"Excellent!" Rogue got up, relieved, that this was over, and that she was free to-

"Wait, wait, Rogue, sit down for a moment."

"What? What is it?"

"I was also told to tell you…" said Storm, looking uncomfortable –"Please, PLEASE, Rogue, just stay away from that Asgardian."

"Asgardian?" Rogue raised her thick eyebrows, as if she knew not the elephant on the table.

"The God you zapped into unconsciousness? Lo-ki." Storm was stressing the two syllables, and not fondly so, which was curious in its own.

"Ohhh…" Said Rouge –"Yes, yes of course I will. Are you kidding? After what happened??"  

"Please, sit down, we are _not_ done."  

"Oookay." Rogue sat again, with a somber expression and a huff.

"Marie, I know your way with men."

"My way with men…? I've been in a relationship for the past gazillion years, Aurora…!"

"Rogue, please. Come on. Don't play innocent with me. We know each other very well. You like them, and you like them as wild as they come."

Rogue couldn't help a little hungry smile, her pulse accelerating; and she was covertly asking herself whether she liked Loki, despite him not being her taste and the mean things that he said; And if she didn't like him, why was she pole-dancing with the fridge?- the thought  made her blench, because she did remember herself doing it- and why was there a tiny pressure below her ribcage.

"Really." Said Storm –"Is that all I had to say to turn you on?" she gave a little laugh.

Rogue leaned forward cutely and placed her elbows on the table, supporting her chin with her palms, winking at Storm –"He is a decent lookin' chap." She said it. Oh, yeah, she said it, and immediately crinkled, because she knew it wasn't right. She was _definitely_ not in her right mind.

"We've started this conversation when you were busted and willing to take a punishment, and I thought it was too severe. Now, however, I begin to think a punishment was the better idea-"

Rogue was pouting.

"Now, Marie, seriously. I know you like games, and I know you are devastated from your recent breakup with Remy, which you will not tell me about, obviously."

"Obviously" smiled Rogue.

"But I care for you. A LOT. As your previous mentor, as a big sister… as a friend."

"Why are you being so dramatic, didn't you just tell me he was okay? That there was no harm done?" Rogue was on an edge again.

"It is not him I worry about, you hussy. It is _you."_

"Then you shouldn't be, Aurora, really. I'll be fine, I'll be as good as ever in no-time. You'll see" Rogue took a spoonful of her melting ice-cream, placing it in her mouth –"He's a man and we were flirting and I wanted a taste of his lips and that was it- stupid, really." Her voice was muffled by the cold chocolate she didn't even bother to swallow.  

"You did. However, he is not a man per-se, and he is far from stupid."

"I didn't mean 'stupid' as in 'stupid'"

"You don't understand" started Storm, placing her hand on Rogue's glove –"Sweetheart, he is a God of Asgard. The God of Mischief, to be exact, Thor's baby brother."

Rogue bit on her spoon –"Oh."

"What we see, what we perceive of him, isn't true. Nothing about him is. The way he looks, the way he talks, the way he acts- it's all a _lie_. You see, he is in exile. He probably did something very wrong back at home. They wanted to get rid of him, so they threw him down here. Maybe to teach him a lesson, and maybe to never deal with his tricks again"

"Coz we're just a big dumpster." Said Rogue –"So he is-"

"Deprived of his powers. For the time being." Said Storm "But the professor believes they will find a way to emerge soon enough, and that is why he has decided to take him in. make him feel at home, here, with us, so he becomes an X-Man, instead of our deadliest enemy."

"Oh…" Said Rogue again, and the spoon dropped out her mouth –"I didn't realise…" she wiped her mouth.

"Now you do."

"Why hasn't anyone filled me in?"

"I just did." Said Storm.

"Yeah, that you did." Rogue lost interest in her ice-cream. There was one thing on her mind now, replaying the incident in the kitchen. She really didn't care, at the time, she just flirted away. Not her taste. Nope. No. Not one bit. Definitely not… so skinny, so morose… just some dude to get attention from, to have the reassurance that she was still wanted, desired, longed for. That was all there was to it… until Storm broke it down for her, and now she was hyped and intrigued. Which was weird. But not _that_ weird.

"Rogue!" chided Storm.

"What, Aurora? What is it?"

"You were just staring at the table."

"Just taking it in…" said Rogue defensively. Knowing not why she was rude, then playful, then conquered by a tenacious sex-strive; or why the hell she was _lying_ all the time.

"You were thinking about _him_."

"I was not, Aurora, I really wasn't. He isn't even my type."

"Promise me!" Storm glared and her eyes became bright yellow –"You will leave him be."

"Yes, of course!" cried Rogue and then giggled –"My, my… please, Aurora. Calm down, I won't touch him again. I cross my heart and hope to fry." And that right there was a complete lie.

*


	11. Infatuated with a Lunatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up between Loki and Rogue, but he takes it out on Kitty coz he's just twisted like that :P

_Lonely? Maybe_

_Or maybe not ,it all depends_  
_Your ideal, your image_  
_Your definition of a friend_  
_If what you're shoveling is company_  
_Then I'd rather be alone._

_[Afghan Whigs]_

When Loki opened his eyes the first thing he noticed was a large bump at the back of his head, that ached; and an equivalent bulge in his pants that ached in a whole different aspect. The human male body, he had learnt, had plentiful of boners at the most inconvenient of times and without explanation. Whether it was the early morning erection, the afternoon one, the tired erection or the random- they all plainly _occurred_. He was lying on an uncomfortable bed in Jean's clinic, more of a board, to be exact. He turned on his side before throwing his legs over the edge and then sat upright with a groan because his head was spinning. The upper part of his body was bare naked and there was a needle stuck to his vein, deep in his forearm. He pulled it out with a grimace and swore.

"Hey, wow-" Jean was approaching him, a blur of a white robe and red hair.

"What happened?" he got out of bed, stumbled forward and collapsed on the floor, sending the infusion wheeling and trying to get a grip. He couldn't really see, or gain control of his limbs.

"You cannot stand up yet-" said Jean.

"We'll see about that--" Loki scrabbled for something to hold onto, trying to stand up, but a tray carrying medical equipment rained on his face and shoulders, and he lost his balance and was hugging the floor again, like an octopus, feeling blindly for the tiles and now coughing violently. This was a familiar territory- being wrecked by an enemy and sent to be repaired- only the human healing chamber was rather pitiful, and the human body was to match it in its feebleness like a glove to a hand.

"Am I dying?" he said breathlessly.

"Nope, you are not, but you do need to rest if you want me to fix you properly. Rogue has made quite a mess out of you." Said Jean, and she looked angry, as far as Loki could tell – it didn't have anything to do with his injury. He allowed her to support him back into the bed, and then she injected the needle back into his forearm, not very gently –"I know you are a God and all, back in your world." she said, without kindness –"But here you should try and watch over yourself. It's dangerous out there." She tapped on the needle, as if by mistake, but it sent jolts of pain up his arm. She must hate him very much.

Loki leaned back. Alright, so he was helpless. He hated being helpless, unless it was during sex. That was the one and only situation in which he had allowed himself to hand over control. At times, most times, he was the punisher, getting what he wanted, giving way to his lashing anger and even torturing his partner. At other times, he would trust his partner enough to just let go and sink into the sweet nothing of oblivion. It only seldom happened, when there was someone worthy, intelligent and creative enough to gain his trust and appreciation, when he permitted himself to be soft and fragile like a snowflake. Not today, however. He was just mad. Mad at his family members, mad at the X-Men, mad at the goddesses of fate, at this cursed human form and all its brittleness. He was trying to focus on a history book when Rogue came in, dressed in… well. Rags again. It was now a huge woolen dress, the colour of dirt, and some leggings, and gloves, as always. Black.

Loki dropped the book, not letting his fright show –"What, now." he said, rolling his eyes –"Came to see how well you've done?"  

"No." Rogue took in a sharp breath –"I just came to say sorry."

"I care not for your apologies." said Loki coldly "Anything else? More whining about a bad breakup? Your evil ex-boyfriend? They're always evil, aren't they. But I guess I never heard his side, have I? Maybe _you_ were the miscreant of the relationship, and maybe romance is always dingy, especially on Midgard, and maybe I'm just an insensitive bastard. Who knows."

Rogue was silent, but her face was burning under her makeup.

He picked up his book again, so there was a screen between them, and his tone was flat "Tell me this-" he continued, straightening up minutely, because his body would not allow him much more than that –"Was any of what I told you yesterday wrong? Because from my experience I only get such tantrums thrown at me when I hit a nerve, Marie, so why should you apologize for what you have done. I hit because you desperately needed a wakeup call, and you hit me back because you were hurt, and that is what most people do. So. It all seems rather legit. I don't care for your apologies." He repeated –"They are a waste of breath."

"We did fuck." Said Rogue.

Loki raised his eyes from his book –"I beg your pardon?"

"Me and Remy. We did touch… and everything else. That was the only thing you got wrong yesterday." Something about her quietness and about her nasal voice, the fact that she came all this way to see that he was okay was puzzling, however good old "Remy" was the topic once more, and it was vexatious.

Loki picked up his book again and pretended to be reading in it –"Then that just makes it worse, as he gave up on you nevertheless."

"You don't have to be such a prick" Rogue tossed a plastic bottle at him, and he just covered his head with the book, so the bottle bounced from it and flew to the floor. She turned around and left the clinic. Loki was an expert at making women feel bad about themselves. He was talented like that; but knowing he just blew his only chance to have some company, as unable as he was, he did feel an ounce of regret for chasing Rogue away.

Before he pondered it any further, though, she was back at the door.

"Just so you know-"

"What, Mutant?"

"I told them I was going to kiss you, and that it wasn't an attack- because-"

"How cute." He offered without looking up, and she had left for the second time, not knowing that he actually meant it.

*

It took him a couple of days to recuperate, but Loki was relieved to be out of the witch's clinic and off her questionable treatment. He felt fine and regenerated, showing up at breakfast again, as if nothing ever happened. Angel was kind to him and saved him a seat.

"Good to have you back, Lockster!" he patted him on his back and left his hand there for a little while, rubbing affectionately. It felt nice, and Loki was grateful for that gesture.

"Yeah, we've all been through it, don't worry." jested Bobby as well –"We X-Men lose control of our powers sometimes, we've been known to send each other to the clinic regularly."

"True story." said Storm in a pleasant voice.

"Is that so." said Loki lowly.

"Yeah, Wolverine stabbed Rogue right it the stomach. Remember that?" said Bobby enthusiastically.

"It was her chest."

"No, the stomach."

"Whatever."

"Loki has been through his baptism of fire!" said Kitty, giving him the eye again. He must do something about it soon, or it will get worse.  

"Haha, he has. And it has only just begun." Bobby raised his glass of orange juice.  

"Right." Said Loki –"I can't wait for what's coming next. A coffin, perhaps?"

Everyone laughed. Well, they all seemed so friendly that Loki started to feel a bit disoriented, but then when he gave some more thought into it, as he was sipping his coffee, he knew what was going on. Up until now they all feared him, no doubt. Not knowing what he was capable of, and probably warned by Professor X, whereas now it was established that he could be taken down. That he had weaknesses. That is why they all liked him all of a sudden, and Loki decided that this was easier to turn into an advantage than his previous situation. Well, if anything, he should be _thanking_ Rogue. His eyes browsed through the people present at the breakfast table, but she wasn't even there. He contemplated asking about her, but then decided against it.

"So… you and me, huh?" said Angel, biting into an apple and his face beaming.

"Excuse me?" Loki was still confused enough to think for a moment Angel was asking him out.  

"I'm taking over Jean's job today! Your training? Didn't they tell you?"

"That is correct." said Storm, voice cool–"Loki, you are going to be training with Angel today, as Jean was sent out on a mission with Cyclops."

"I have to say I feel that my training in the Danger Room is rather pointless." said Loki grimly –"I prefer to spend the day reading in my chambers, if that's alright."

"This should be different, so don't rule it out." Storm was kind again, something like caring in her voice, as if she felt sorry for him.

"I really do not see the point."

"You will be training outside. Horseback riding, and lance combat. It's been raining since last night, but I can hold back the weather for you for a couple of hours to make it easier."

Everyone was looking at Loki now, waiting for his reply. Well, horseback riding was one of his fortes, and the lance could be somewhat like his spear. And not having Jean around… well. He was actually fond of the idea.

"Oh." he said –"Well, no need to control the weather for us, Aurora. The rain is our friend."

"Right on!" said Angel.

"Great." said Storm, and looked pleased.

*

There was something behind this too, Loki was certain. This was not a coincidence- Jean being absent for some mysterious reason, the Angel being his mentor for today, but it was too tempting to refuse nevertheless. Back home, ever since childhood, Loki was an outstanding rider. His agile and light figure made it a second nature to him, and he could always pick the swiftest, most delicate intelligent horses. It was never about force, it was about moving like a shadow, flying weightlessly, one with his horse through the battlefield. It was about being invisible, until it was time to strike when least expected. 

While his brother, Thor, had to pick the massive destriers that were built like mountains, moving slowly, relentless and unbreakable, made to carry his weight in addition to the heaviness of his armour and Mjiolnir altogether, trained to never fret, to keep up for hours and hours; Well, Loki had the privilege of blowing like a whirlwind, and he loved it. He was everywhere. Maneuvering skillfully, skipping and galloping with the grace of a ghost, sending ruthless daggers into the hearts of unsuspecting warriors who couldn't even see him coming in a dazzle. And when it was time to flee, Loki was the first to disappear, and he was the quickest messenger when it was time to pull back- because, on top of him being an exquisite rider, it was said that Loki could speak the language of horses, and that was one of his many secrets.

He followed Angel into the stables in the pouring rain. He was led through the aisle until he found himself standing in front of a dapple stallion, that was rather short, tired looking and unattended.

"Is this to be my riding steed?" he asked Angel, eyebrows rising.

"Whatcha mean? Gemini is one of our best horses!"

"Oh." Said Loki with pure disappointment.

"Oh, I see." laughed Angle as he saddled his mare- a yellow coated, heavy Belgian with a dull mane, that didn't seem in a much better state than Loki's dapple –"You Gods have a posh taste in everything, don't you? Well, these horses will have to do, unless you wanna call it off and move back to the Danger Room."

"They will do." said Loki quietly, and with one splendid leap he swung his leg and was over Gemini's back. The horse gave a soft neigh, but otherwise did not seem surprised or alarmed by Loki's move. It only twitched his chest muscles with anticipation, and his nostrils flared.

"Loki?" Angel looked at him, perplexed –"This horse will need saddle and reigns before we can take him out."

"It will slow him down." answered Loki, with odd quietness.

"You really like horses, don't you?" said Angel with no purpose whatsoever, and he climbed the back of his mare. Now they were both leading their mounts out into the field.

"What of it?" said Loki –"You like driving your car aimlessly."

"C'mon, Loki." said Angel and got into trotting, his wings giving his mare some extra drive –"It's never aimless. It attracts the chicks. You know that by now."

"By chicks I assume you mean women." Loki got his steed to trot beside Angel

"Only the young ones." Angel replied. They were both gathering speed now, riding side by side. Loki enjoyed the cool wind, and the drizzle that was slamming against his face. He breathed in the particular scent of his mount and indulged in it. Horses didn't smell like any other animal. They didn't stink: their breath smelled nice, and their sweat smelled nice, and even their defecations were easy on the nose. Much unlike dogs, or cats who could drive him off just by the reeking stench of rotting flesh permanently stuck between their teeth. Gemini was nothing like the magnificent beasts of Asgard, he held none of their brilliance, none of their genius, but Loki decided he was a fine horse. He listened to the nuances of Loki's inner thighs, and was ever so quick to respond to his silent requests, and that was as good as Loki could hope for. It was fun.

Once they had reached the field, Angel urged Loki to gallop to the other side as he closed the gate behind them. It was a pitch of mud, surrounded by a wooden fence and there were little flags marking strategic points on the field. Angel instructed Loki to pick up a red lance that was leaning against the fence and wait near a red flag until he himself was ready, with a blue lance of his own. "They're plastic." complained Loki.

"What?" shouted Angel across the field.

"I said they're plastic!" Loki hollered back.

"I didn't catch that!" Angel shouted, smiling, and before Loki could tell what was going on, he realized Angel was galloping right towards him, lance pointing forward and hooves spraying big chunks of mud. There was no time for him to gather speed in order to meet the attack, so when Angel was near enough Loki simply arched backwards on his horse, so that the lance poked through air only, and Angel's momentum sent him past Loki and almost into the fence behind him.

"Nice move!" he told Loki, but gave him no time to prepare before he turned his horse and was charging forward again. This time Loki pulled on Gemini's mane and made him rear, so that Angel's steed got frightened and jerked out of the way so rapidly he almost lost his winged rider. On the third attack Loki could already predict what's coming, therefore he hugged his horse tightly and when Angel came he dropped his own lance, slid under the horse's belly and hung there for a moment like a koala. This time after passing through without achieving contact, Angel brought his mount to a halt and turned back to trot towards Loki.

"What are you doing?" he wondered.

"Winning." answered Loki and pulled himself to sit upright on Gemini's back, stroking his neck affectionately –"You were right, he is a decent horse indeed."

"But…" Angel started.

"But?" Loki raised his eyebrows, and he was wearing half a grin.

"These moves aren't considered fair lance combat, Lockster. In fact, this isn't a combat at all! You can't just keep avoiding the impact…"

"Why not?" inquired Loki.

"Because-"

"Well." Loki said "What would you have me do? You know that with your size and strength you could knock me down in one blow. How is that fair? No, don't answer that. Let me tell you this: If we ever stumble into a lance-combat, which I highly doubt, then we better work as a team. You will do the knocking and lunging, and I will be the sneak-attack. How does that sound?"

"C'mon. it's not about lance combat. It's just a workout, you know, to get out blood flowing and our muscles growing-"

"Well, then aren't we doing just that?" wondered Loki, his half-grin turning into a full one.

"I… well, yeah, I guess." The big Angel looked perplexed, which did not at all dim the light of his handsome features. He merely resembled an over-sized child.

"Who set you up for this?" Loki changed the subject and urged Gemini a bit closer to Angel's horse.

"Set me up? Woah, Lockster, aren't you paranoid? It was my idea. I told Storm that your kind needed to be outside, in the fresh air." He looked genuinely offended –"Thought you'd enjoy it."

"Oh." Said Loki, who couldn't bring himself to apologize, although he did feel a pang of guilt deep inside. There was Angel, truly trying to make him feel welcome, and there was he- being unwelcoming.

"So." Said the Angel –"shall we head back then?"

"No." said Loki right away, and then a little softer –"I was just starting to warm up." and the Angel's smile told him that he was doing the right thing for a change, because he was not the one to hold grudges, and because he reminded him so much of his brother.

*

Training with Angel had left him content, and his muscles burning with a healthy strain. Loki stepped out of the showers with a towel wrapped around his waist and spirits uplifted. He walked to his chambers, opened the door and found Kitty standing there with her back to him, apparently leafing through a book about the cultures of Midgard that Xavier insisted he would read. His initial response was to scowl, because his privacy was paper-thin in this accursed lodging house; but then on second thought it did seem like an opportunity for an endgame. He replaced his scowl with a squalid smile as she turned.

"Oh, sorry." she emitted and threw the book back on the desk as if it were catching fire –"Really. So so sorry. Hi… ermm… Storm just said I should call you, I mean, get you, to come to dinner. Because you sometime skip it, and tonight she wanted to have a chat, and-"

"I see." Said Loki, enjoying her embarrassment more than he should have. She wasn't pretty, Kitty. She was tiny and awkward, with long dark hair and a fringe, and her blue watery eyes were hidden behind the glasses that she wore sometimes. At other times she used to cover the most part of her face with her hair. She was somewhere between 16 and 20, but she seemed not to have noticed she was becoming a woman, and Loki knew she was never touched by a man.

"So she said," Kitty kept on babbling –"that it's important you'd be there. Like, I tried your phone first, a couple of times, but there was no answer. Then she said to knock on your door-"

"And you just let yourself in." completed Loki.

"I… I didn't… it was open-" Kitty stumbled through the words, clearly startled by his suggestion that she barged in –"I just took a look, because the door, it was –"

"Right." Loki kicked the door shut with his ankle and peered at the girl –"Take off your clothes."

Kitty went as pale as a sheet in front of him, as expected, and then began to shudder and was lost for words. Loki could foresee this, because he used on her the tone he would use with girls of her sort, and yet she took it rather hard.

"Problem?"

Kitty gasped and appeared to be frozen. She would not speak, he knew he had sent her into the hostile terrain of mute subservience without a guiding hand, so it was upon him to do all the talking.

"I've seen how you look at me." He explained airily –"and what you want from me I could happily supply. My cock, was it not? I am not particularly picky about whom I give it to. You'll do just fine. Still, you'd have to be naked for that one."

Another shudder jarred through the girl, and then a miserable squeak left her lips and she covered her mouth with her hands to suppress it. Loki felt his hunger rising, and for a second he was going to neglect his original plan and gobble her like a mountain lion, but he finally chose to abandon that instinct, because it was too much of a risk.

"Not ready, are you?" he was dripping with mock kindness –"That is quite alright." He turned on his heels to open the door for her to leave –"If it was not my cock you were after, then I stand corrected, and my apologies." He offered, snickering –"You can go now, little girl. I will be down at the dining room shortly."

Chocking on her tears and distress, Kitty stepped towards the door humiliated. "However," Loki stopped her before she let the hallway and her self-doubt swallow her altogether–"If you ever fancy paying me a visit again, make sure you're undressed." And he slammed the door behind her.

*


	12. The Squashing Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being stuck in a crowded aircraft is a good opportunity for dry humping. sorta :P

  
_It's unfortunate that when we feel a storm_  
_We can roll ourselves over 'cause we're uncomfortable_  
 _Oh well, the devil makes us sin_  
 _But we like it when we're spinning in his grip_

**_[Massive Attack]_ **

Another thing that refused to grow on Loki was the bothersome alarms that were everywhere and always; and they howled and wailed and beeped and shrieked until they drilled into his brain and infested his dreams. The constant noise that came with living on Midgard had put him on his toes, so when the house alarm went off in the dead of night, he really thought for an instant that the world was ending. First he held his breath as his eyes blew open with trepidation, then the up and down cry and the blinking red lights sent him jumping and running for the door like a disturbed roach ,fleeing from the sound and bursting into the hallway – where it was worse. Something was going on. He ran down the flight of steps and ran into Scott who shoved him in the chest –"Put on your uniform. Get to the Blackbird!"

"Me?"

"Yes. You, Asgardian. We need everyone, hurry up will you? We leave in five minutes."

"Oh." Said Loki. He could have refused, he could have pretended that he didn't understand this was some kind of an emergency, but then he was so curious about it that he rushed back into his room and slipped into the uniform unthinking. Then he just ran. He didn't remember on which dock the Blackbird was parking, but he trusted his luck. As he dashed down the flight for the second time, the alarm deafeningly loud and enhancing the panic in the air, Angel swooped from nowhere and scooped him up in his arms like an eagle does his prey, flying with him through the corridors and brushing his gigantic wings against lamps and banisters and walls on the way.

"I don't have any weapons with me." said Loki under his breath, hating to be carried as he was, and liking the natural scent of his carrier.  

"We don't need them for this call." answered Angel from above.

"Where are we going in such a hurry then?"

"To pick up boxes." Replied Angel. Now, that was boring so he sneered with disappointment. Pick up boxes! Why did they even need Loki for it? And why raise the alarm and spoil a perfectly good night sleep.

Angel landed carelessly as he would on the concrete when they reached the platform, but he did say "sorry" as he shrugged at Loki and winked. Everyone was there already. Some, like Kitty, with a sleepy look on their faces that turned into the embodiment of dread when they noticed Loki; and some like Scott, bloating with self-importance.

Professor X wheeled towards Storm, his voice slightly shaking under his usual calmness –"I expect you back within two hours. I will be in touch with you through the radio. Please, hurry. I hope you're able to save at least some of it."

"Yes, Professor." said Storm, looking grave, and then they all rushed into the aircraft and took off into the night.

It had been at least ten minutes before Loki gathered the nerve to speak up.

"So… are we going on a nightly shopping spree?"

"Someone tell the Alien he isn't funny." muttered Scott, his eyes on the screen behind his shades, as he was piloting the Blackbird.

"Someone tell Laser-Man he is welcome to insert a shovel up his tightly-pressed b-"

"Enough of this, seriously!" Said Storm –"You guys better get used to each other, and soon. And Loki, we are on an emergency mission to retrieve some cases containing sensitive data from the government mutant research that has been going on for nearly a hundred years. The data and the evidence were kept in a facility –"

"The details are irrelevant." It was Jean who turned to Loki –"We just need to get there before everything is destroyed."

"Why would it be destroyed?" inquired Loki.

"Because the facility has just caught fire." It was Angel who replied, and Loki was suddenly very much aware of Rogue who was sitting to his left across the aisle, and who opened her mouth to add something, but eventually disguised it as a yawn.

"So we could be walking right into a trap, then." suggested Loki.

"That is a likely option." Said Storm –"However, we do have an inside man-" she broke off once more as Jean was eyeing her from the front seat, next to Scott.  

Storm restarted herself, and continued after a pause in a more practical tone –"I will be above, in the air, dropping rain to extinguish some of the fire. If I kill it all, they are bound to notice. Then Kitty should phase through the wall and see if she can open the doors from the inside. We want to keep it as quiet and as quick as possible. We don't wanna blast the place-"

"Got it." Said Loki –"we sneak in and out and take what we can, if we can, and we leave before we can get attached." He was glancing sideways, at Rogue, who was stubbornly gazing at the window although the warm lights inside the vessel made it impossible to see what was going on beyond the glass. He also noted the back of her head, and her hair neatly tied in a pony-tail, swinging slightly with the air-currents that carried them; and her awkward silence, which meant nothing.

*

In the end the mission went rather well. In fact it went so well that Loki suspected that it could have been a test designed especially for him, to see if he could be trusted; but on second thought the X-Men would never go to such lengths. Under Storm's cover they indeed sneaked into the facility and ran back and forth through the smoke, carrying the boxes to the Blackbird that was stealthily parking at a nearby grove, away from sight. Some of the boxes were carton and fell apart the moment they were picked, which was rather frustrating. Some were too heavy for Loki to lift, so he had to share the burden with a fellow X-Man who was almost always Scott. Soon enough they all smelled like bonfire and scorched hair and had their faces covered in a layer of soot.

When there were no more intact boxes to carry, they stood panting in the dark in front of the Blackbird, Angel had his hands on his waist and was looking alternately at the ground and at his friends and Bobby had a perplexed expression. None of them tried to enter the aircraft, as it was completely packed with the boxes and there was surely no room for all of them to squeeze in.

"Me, Rogue and Angel can fly beside you" said Storm to Scott –"That should solve the problem."

"Too dangerous." said Scott –"We cannot risk being seen, if they start the alarm and point the sky with searchlights, you will be vulnerable out there."

"But we will be smaller targets than you guys, and we-"

"Are much slower on your own." Scott finished Storm's sentence –"It will take you ages to get back, that is out of the question."

"Well, what's the alternative?"  

"The squashing solution." Angel was laughing. No amount of soot on his face could ruin his good spirits.

"What is that?"

"Take a wild guess, Bobby."

"Oh." 

"It's only a 30 min. flight anyways, we should be fine." said Jean, measuring the carrier, and so, hesitantly and one by one they all pushed inside.

"Mind doing it slower?" barked Scott from his spacious front seat –"I am taking off in 15 seconds whether you're on board or not. Got it?"

"Yessir." said Bobby –"Lemme just get the armrest in my groin and I'll be all settled."

Kitty laughed.

"You should enjoy that."

"Wanna swap? My head is the only thing stopping that box from falling."

"Hahaha!"

And so they were - Angel tucked his wings as much as he could, and the grimace on his face was visible to everyone, as he was crushed against Bobby and not overly thrilled about it. Kitty was so tiny, so she just climbed over a pile of boxes and huddled at the top, Storm was folded between the door and an armrest and Loki, who was sitting on a crate had Rogue standing over him, hunched above his head and crammed against his knees. When the door closed on them Angel lost his balance and took one step backwards unintentionally just to steady himself. However, he had stepped on Bobby's foot –

"The fuck, Angel!"

"My bad, Bro-"

"Just scooch over, will ya!?"

"Where to, Darling?"

And in the shuffling and ruffling to come, Rogue was pressed even harder to Loki's knees by her shins, and with no choices left, she supported herself by leaning against the box above his head with a stretched arm, bending forward like a fishing rod.

The trickster finally rolled his eyes.  

"Oh, for Valhalla's sake, SIT DOWN! You're blocking the view."

Kitty giggled again, but her renewed cheerfulness was swift to vanish as Loki grabbed Rogue by her hips and pulled her to him, unto his lap, because the moment was just too precious. To his surprise Rogue didn't even try to resist and she hadn't said anything; However, he did believe he heard a soft gasp breaking from her lips as she landed in his snare. That sound alone encouraged him, but the warm weight of her body was no less of an inducement. As the carrier buzzed heavily into the air, and she was sitting on his thighs - he wrapped one arm around her to secure her in her sitting position, and it could have been awkward to her, but right now he simply didn't care.

"Turn off the lights, we cannot be seen" said Cyclops, and Jean responded, pushing some invisible button, and then it was dark in the aircraft, and dark all around. Perfect. After a minute or two of quietness the jokes started spilling from Angel's mouth, mainly. He was filling the dense air with his winsome voice –"It really smells like a football dressing room in here.", "Bobby, is that your gun? Oh, I forgot, you don't have one.", "Storm, if we crash and I end up sitting on your face don't take it personal, kay?"

Loki could feel Rogue's back against his chest, her arms brushing unwittingly against his, and he tightened his hold around her. His body was already preparing for action unasked, draining his mind from reason and spurring him to touch- so he did. Mindlessly he traced the curve of her waist with his fingers, not breaking the hold. A one stroke at first, and then a series, which turned into a slow rhythm as the girl in his arms never signaled him that he was out of line. Not that it would salvage her now this has begun. But has it really? _That_ he had to find out, so he released a breath so delicate over her ear. Her hair smelled of flames and coconut oil and it tickled at his nostrils.

"A little sigh of pleasure is all I asked for" he said in a low voice only she could hear, as the rest of the gang were busy answering Angel's stupid jests, and the engine was noisy to begin with.  He played with the thought of keeping her locked in his grip, like a prisoner, like prey; she would not be able to move lest he allowed it. She would not be able to get away.

"Why." whispered Rogue back, and a shadow of a smile crept into her hiss. The sound of her voice, even at this volume, added flavor to whatever he was cooking, and did not know quite yet. He's always loved the sound of women. The sound of them talking, and the sound of them whispering, and the sound of them screaming, and the sounds they made when they were penetrated.  

"So that I know I'm doing well."

Rogue turned and squirmed in his grip like an eel, till her lips were dangerously close to his cheek; but he did not recoil –"You cannot do well. T'is not in your nature, Sugah."

The tiny friction was enough to evoke a shy erection, felt by both of them. They exchanged a look in the darkness, then Loki gently pushed upwards, as if accidentally, but in his loins he was missing his active sex life, and this bit of a gesture reminded him just how much. His caress at her waist was now only pressure, and he was struggling against his worse judgement not to fritter the moment by shooting in his pants.

*

Circumstances aside, she was sitting in Loki's lap and Rogue didn't want to admit to herself it didn't hurt one bit. His arms were around her, like thick ropes; stirring up forgotten sensations that made her start to melt, and her eyes were wide open in the darkness, staring ahead at the silhouettes of her friends. There was a cock evidently poking between her legs, making her underwear warmer than before, and all the shaking and shifting of the aircraft had made her the fluky participant of mutual rubbing. How far was he going to take it, she didn't know, and she was not able to explain to herself why on earth was she going along with it. Apart from being attracted to this man of mystery. Only he wasn't really a man, and there was nothing mysterious about wanting to fuck. Whoever was closest (she guessed, berating herself)- for how long has it been since Remy? Two months? Three? Four? She had lost count because to be honest most of the time she was just shedding tears, and looking for a place to stay. Given their short history Loki would not be, could not be the wisest of choices – but he was just there. In all his… well. Glory. Her mind was clearing all of a sudden, the thoughts were slipping away, leaving behind but a sandstorm of curiosity and recklessness she was instantly caught up in, and she had reached backwards, to him, to feel what he was offering-  but then a gasp broke from her mouth as he grabbed her wrist sharply but gently, and placed her hand back in her own lap, muttering softly "Naughty mutant. Not here." And his velvet voice disclosed that he was smiling. Rogue turned her face with surprise, to meet his glimmering eyes measuring her –"We're not gonna have an argument about this, are we, Princess? I want our first time to be special. You seem to care so much about these rituals here on Midgard." And the irony was sliming all over his words –"Ide like to show you my room first." he kept on whispering –"The ceiling is the best part."

Rogue found that she was shuddering with a quiet laughter –"You're unbelievable." She whispered back –"You already know that I cannot be touched- by the beauty of your ceiling or otherwise."

"Funny. I beg to differ, as there seems to be a lot of touching going on in the past 15 minutes." Replied Loki, and with that he leaned forward and blew over her lips –"But perhaps there needn't even be any touching necessarily."

"Now what does that mean."

"I mean my presence is enough to make you wet, Princess. I bet my voice alone could make you climax."

"I get wet coz I just like men."

"I am no man."

*


	13. You Are Nothing but Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Loki and Rogue have some fun in the Danger Room and then some more fun under the dinner table...

_These bonds are shackle free, wrapped in lust and lunacy._ _  
Tiny touch of jealousy, these bonds are shackle free._

**_[Placebo]_ **

"Five years." Professor Xavier's eyes were searing her through and through, and no matter how long it has been since she had to deal with his psychic psychoanalysis, it clearly hasn't been long enough, and she hated the feeling.

"Yep." She replied –"Five useless years."  

"And how does it feel to be back with us? Your experience so far?"

Rogue puffed, because Xavier knew everything and his mundane questions were empty and fake; but he always took his time with these sessions, loving the sound of his own voice, so there was no other choice but to tolerate it.

"Well, been having trouble sleeping, but that's nothing new." She decided to cooperate, looking upwards when she was supposedly thinking –"Had a couple of good practices with Storm, been grieving over the Remy thing in my spare time- also old news… and… what else?" she was scrunching her face, like an actress –"Oh, and thanks for saving my old room for me, by the way."

The Professor gave a pleasant smile and nodded –"I was hoping for you to return." He said –"Even if not under these circumstances."

"Yeah, yeah." Rogue tilted her head from side to side –"This was only the most certain thing in the history of certainty. Except for death, which is also uncertain for some of us." she hummed bitterly –"But you didn't call me here to talk about my breakup with Remy, so please, Professor."

Charles measured her thoughtfully and he was still smiling, when Rogue noticed there was also a spark of contentment in his eyes. This was something he would usually save for the other mutants on the gang. Not for her.  She raised her eyebrows with confusion.

"Oh, yes." He confirmed –"I am happy with you, Rogue. It seems like you've been making some progress. You _truly have_ grown."

"If growing means growing crabby." Said she, and folded her arms, swinging slightly with her seat.

"Perhaps, amongst other things." Xavier's smile was becoming annoying –"And because I trust you, and because I see a change in you, I would like to have a chat about our most recent addition to the team."

"The alien?" Rogue felt frightened all of a sudden.

"Yes, Loki of Asgard."

"What about him."

*

It was in mid-morning, two days later when Loki was reading in the library and Jean came in and ordered - "Meet me in the Danger Room in 20 minutes."

Loki closed his astronomy book with astonishment and antipathy –"Are _you_ going to train me again?"

"See you there." was all that Jean said. Funny. He really thought they gave up on keeping pretending that she was serving as his mentor, but perhaps the professor told her off and made her go back to that. It didn't matter. What mattered was that Loki truly needed a chance to stretch his bones and work his muscles – last time with Angel did him so well, and he was hoping that this time Jean would let them practice for at least half an hour before beating him with her supernatural powers.

As he entered the Danger Room Jean was already standing in her uniform –"I will pick the location. Feel free to choose any weapon you like meanwhile."

"Gladly." Loki examined the various weapons the room offered, and he frowned as he looked at the daggers that had failed him before against Jean. He liked the daggers as they were light, easy to carry and small enough to conceal – but their size and their light weight were also a disadvantage, as they made it easy for Jean to manipulate with her telekinesis. He needed something heavier. Much heavier.

The axe was the heaviest, but Loki knew not how to use it. The sword was out of the question, for its bluntness; and the bow and arrow were both too light and fit for people with precise aim- which he lacked.  Actually, as he observed the many weapons, he was more and more reminded of his many flaws which peeved him greatly. Jean's eyes on his back were just as peeving.

Just as he was about to give up, a _spear_   caught his glance, and he hurried to pick it up with revived confidence- this may actually work. He knew thoroughly how to handle it, and after testing the polished wood with slender fingers and flipping the spear several times in slow motion, he decided upon it.

At that moment the door slid open with a hiss and Rogue stepped inside "Sorry I'm late, Jean." she said in her somewhat nasal voice.

"We haven't started since our prince had difficulties choosing his weapon, so it's alright." answered Jean casually, but Loki was perceptive enough to notice how her dark mood turned darker when Rogue joined them. The arrival of Rogue at the practice was indeed a whole separate enigma, but he was more focused on the fact that she was present, rather than the reason behind it.

 Jean picked a location indifferently, typing something into the upright keyboard – then the room transformed and in less than 15 seconds they were standing in a hotel lobby. Packed with furniture, cheap paintings and covered in carpets, but while Loki was supposed to be studying the room and take mental notes of how to use it to his benefit during the fight, he found that he was taking in how lovely Rogue looked in her outfit instead. It was a yellow-green flexible fabric that covered her from neck to toe, and it was so tight that the outline of her body was vividly visible underneath. Loki just wanted to stare for a while. For a long while. For quite a while, but he only managed a quick glance at a pair of distinctive breasts the size of oranges, wanting to break free from the constraints, because her everyday outfits were never that definite.  

"So how is this gonna go?" she asked, placing him back in the here and now.   

"We'll take turns." said Jean unquestionably –"I'll go first." and before Loki could arrange himself in a fighting position, still dazzled from the naughty looks he threw at Rogue, Jean used her telekinesis to rip the spear from his grip and send it low across the floor towards his legs. Loki leapt over it swiftly, and turned to grab a chair, which he tossed at Jean, to disrupt her concentration, but to no avail. With one hand Jean blew the chair into a wall, and with the other she directed the spear back at Loki and tried to stab him. He leapt again, and again, and then he swung and hid behind a sofa just in the nick of time. The spear nailed into the cushions, only to be pulled out again and chase Loki around the room.

"Awww…" said Rogue –"Mean Jean. Com'on. This is unfair. Give the boy a chance."

Jean let go of the spear and it dropped to the floor with a clutter.

"What do you mean, we are here to awaken his powers." Spoke Jean as if Loki was not even there.

"Yeah, but why not do it in a fun way." Said Rogue. Loki didn't really know what she meant by that, but for some reason he believed they were going to humiliate him together now, as if Jean's powers were not enough as it is.

It was apparently Rogue's turn now, so she walked over to the arsenal. She picked a staff.

"Remy taught me how to use this, although he didn't really mean it. It was an accident." She winked at Jean and gave the staff a few experimental swings. Loki stared at her, panting still from being chased by the spear and from aggravation mixed with something sexual he could not translate into thoughts –"What are we doing?"

"Dancing, Sugar." Said Rogue –"Come'on. I won't use any tricks, I promise. Just plain old fighting. On the ground, no flying."

"Sounds lovely." Said Loki and picked up the spear –"And I don't fancy you calling me 'Sugar', or 'Boy'-" he met her next swing with a clash, the spear hitting her staff forcefully, and then he rolled away from her only to try and attack her from the side.

She arched away and he hit a desk instead, shattering it with the brunt of the blow. He pushed aside the thought it could have been her body  –"I spared you this time."  He heard himself saying –"I will spear you the next."

Loki used the spear for support, he flew upwards, legs kicking forward and hit Rogue in her belly. She lost her balance and stumbled backwards, when he crashed into her and as she hit the carpet, Loki landed ontop of her and knocked the air out of her lungs. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but sensing her body pressed between his and the carpet excited him immensely.

"Oohh, he's got the moves of a lover." She was laughing, to his surprise, and fixing her olive eyes on his green ones, then the moment was lost as she punched him generously in the balls.

Loki recoiled in shock, a blinding white garbling his vision, and then she was no longer beneath him, but on the other side of the room, a stinging ache pulsing just under his cock. He gritted his teeth and stormed at Rogue once more.

"I like it rough-" said Rogue and she was charging at him from her corner of the room, but Loki was ready for her move and once they collided he kicked the back of her knee so that she fell forward into his arms, where he quickly turned her, twisting the staff out of her hold and was now hugging her from behind, one arm just under her breasts, keeping her still, and the other pulling a dagger from his sleeve, like a magician would, and pressing it against her neck. Yes, this finally felt right. Tough woman, but she can be contained, after all.

"I like it rougher." he said to Rogue, but it was almost a whisper. Her exposed neck just inches from his mouth, carried battle scars. How many people have tried to kill this woman? And how many tried to have sex with her? He couldn't help wondering, feeling the round softness of her breasts laying on his forearm, he spread his fingers ever so slightly, his index finger only just pushing against her left breast, not on purpose, of course. Rogue made no sound, but he felt her lungs halt under his touch, just for a fraction of a second, and he loved it. Then he entirely let go, asking Jean "Game over yet, mentor?"

Jean rolled her eyes.

And when Rogue broke away from him, and pressed the button to bring the Danger Room to its default state, she shook her hair casually and said to Jean –"See? He's not entirely useless. I'm gonna hit the shower, see you guys." Rogue left without giving him another glance. Jean , on the other hand, was harsh –"Your games have no place here." She told him.

"I was fighting, I was training like you've instructed me to." Insisted Loki, unzipping the upper part of his suit, and putting the spear back into the arsenal closet.

"The dagger too, Loki." said Jean.

"Oh, completely slipped my mind." Answered Loki and pulled the dagger out of his pants. Jean blushed and he put it back in its place, not being too quick about it.  

"You know," said Jean –"I could put you in the dungeons if I wanted to. I will only have to say the word."

"I've been to the dungeons many a-times." Replied Loki dryly.

"You must like it in there, then."

"No." said Loki and stepped closer –"But I did learn, that I am only put there when I am feared from. Now, ask yourself why do you fear me so much, Jean, when you can blow me into pieces only by thinking about it, but you still want to lock me in." he smiled sourly, and walked away.

*

Jean blushed. She didn't want to think about how everyone in the Danger Room was enjoying themselves, except for her. She didn't want to think of how much she envied them as she saw fragments from what was going on in their minds. She didn't want to acknowledge the tiny tingle she felt between her legs as Loki held Rogue from behind. No, she hated both of them. Instead of thinking of what happened, replaying the pictures over and over again, she decided to submit to rage. She burst into Xavier's study not half an hour later.

"Jean." Said the professor and wheeled away from his desk –"What is the matter?"

"I cannot be his mentor. I resign. I don't wanna do a crappy job. I don't want to disappoint you, so I just best step back. This is beyond me."

"Nothing is beyond you, Jean. You are my best student. Sit down." Jean complied, and suddenly she was in tears. She buried her face in her palms.

"Tell me. What has made you so upset?"

Jean couldn't hide anything from Xavier, even if she wanted to, plus she really needed his advice, so she just had to spill it out.

"The training session… it went out of hand."

"In what way?"

"Sexually!" spat Jean, frustrated –"They were just… all over each other. It was disgusting, Professor. She let him win! She… she didn't even try to block him. Repulsing, really. He was on top of her, then behind her, ca….caressing her! Seriously, what kind of joke it that? I don't want any part of it. Please, professor, just have someone else babysitting them. I cannot take it."

"Hmm." Said Xavier –"Jean. Did you never have fun in the Danger Room, fighting with the boys?"

Jean blushed, remembering how Scott and Logan would fight over her, and how much she had enjoyed it. True, she is not a youth anymore, and those days are gone, but they were fun indeed, and sometimes she would indulge in the memories.

"I did." She said –"But we were teenagers then, me and Scott, and Logan was just playing, as he always does, flirting with anything with a pulse… it was so long ago. It didn't mean anything. But they are _not_ teenagers, and these are not the same times, and it's just-"

The professor smiled –"Rogue cannot touch other people. Can you imagine how it feels? Also, she is heartbroken at the moment. And Loki, the God of Chaos, what can you really expect of him, but try and make a big mess wherever he steps? That is his nature, Jean."

"I just-"

"How are things with Scott?" asked the professor bluntly.

Jean stiffened. Things with Scott were okay. They were always just okay. He was a nice guy, and he loved her with all his heart. He was handsome, and strong, and considerate, and sexy and caring and… he was boring.

"Boring?" said the professor, reading her mind. He let out a sigh. After their entire conversation, this, of all things, worried him.

"Kind of." Said Jean, with half a smirk.

"Are you looking for someone new?"

"No! No. Of course not." Said Jean and exhaled –"I was letting the memories overwhelm me. Forgive me, Professor."

"I trust your judgement, Jean. There is no need for apologies."

What the professor had in plan, Jean did not entirely know. However she was adamant to share her anecdotes, before… well. Before this escalates into who knows what kind of a disaster.

"I've seen his mind, Professor. The night we picked him up- it wasn't a pretty sight- and it hasn't changed since. He would kill us. All of us."

"Yes." Said Xavier calmly –"and that is why we have to work hard on persuading him that we are not the enemy."

"But we have _imprisoned_ him, Professor, against his will!"

"Yes." Charles looked exhausted –"And we have to help him understand it is the better option. That is why I have assigned Rogue-"

"To be his _prostitute_." Jean spat. Not that she cared for Rogue at the slightest, but the idea of bribing the Asgardian with sexual treats was obnoxious. Coming from the Professor she has admired for so many years - - -  it was more than obnoxious. It was hellish and cruddy and… and… _cheap_!

 "Jean." Xavier smiled and put his hand on hers –"I've only instructed Rogue to get closer, that is all, and no more than that. Angel- whom you thought Loki would be satisfied with, is obviously not enough for him. He needs to get _attached_ , and while we're at it, Rogue needs an anchor here as well. We do not want her to fly away again. And when you think about it, don't the two of them have much in common? Can you not see?"

"I can see, Professor." Said Jean rigidly –"I can see, the ugliness behind the scenes. I will follow your orders, but don't expect me to support your ideas."

"I am sorry you feel this way."

"I am sorrier." Said Jean and left.

*

She did not know where they went to spend the afternoon at, but Loki and Angel were very much absent from Xavier's weekly speech at dinnertime, and it wasn't good for them. Rogue texted Angel under the table, for she did not have the alien's number, and there was no reply. She swore silently, not knowing why she cared, because she did not care for any of them. Yep, the aircraft ride was hot. In fact, it was so hot, that later that night, covered in soot, she touched herself in the bathtub and replayed his voice saying "Not here, Mutant" in her mindful fantasies, repulsed by herself once she came. Well, that was since calling her "Mutant" was degrading, and liking it was absolutely ghastly. But she liked it anyway. Because she was a foul mutant, with foul needs and foul manners. It was never right for Xavier to trust her. She was bound to forgo everything she had known in sake of stupidity and adventure.  But there was no sign of adventure or foulness as Loki wasn't even there. Fine. She doesn't care.

"My fellow mutants." Opened Xavier as he wheeled into the dining room –"Whenever I look at your faces, seeing you all around the same table, gathered here, in my mansion, like a true team-"

"Not everyone's here." Said Jean dryly. Rogue was holding her breath, but then the door slammed open and Loki and Angel bumbled in, scattering apologies and looking kind of tipsy. Had they been out drinking?!

"Take a seat, boys." Said the Professor, who didn't mind. Rogue's mouth was gaping. The Professor was never that forgiving, but obviously he made an exception when it came to Loki…  

The latter ran a brief look at the room. There were no empty chairs waiting for them, but Angel was already dragging a chair from the living room and placed it next to the Professor. This was where he settled himself solemnly.

Loki frowned for a second, but then he just acted, dragged his own chair from the living room, making quite a racket, and placed it next to Rogue, who jumped in surprise.

"Make some room for me, would you?" whispered Loki and Rogue shifted her chair reluctantly, making room for Loki to push in between herself and Kitty. This was awkward enough as it is, but then, once settled, Loki put his hand on her thigh under the table. She pursed her lips so not to gasp, because everyone was looking, waiting for him to find his place, but then his hand there ignited her senses.

Rogue closed her eyes. She was already at risk of being kicked out of the X-Men. She surely did not need Loki's advancements right now, but there they were. She tried to push away his hand with her hip, to no avail.

"Dear X-Men-" started the Professor –"How proud am I-"  

Loki's hand slid upwards on Rogue's thigh, stroking casually. Rouge closed her eyes once more and tried to move away from his touch, but Loki pulled her legs apart –"Don't move." he whispered –"Or they would all find out."

"As you well know-" continued Xavier –"Our school for the gifted is enrolling more and more students every year. Currently we have reached a peak-"

Loki's middle finger reached between Rogue's legs and touched there, gliding up and down as she gasped.

"Not a sound." He whispered with a straight face, keeping his eyes on the Professor, pretending to be interested in what he had to say! what a brat. 

"They will send you to the dungeons." Whispered Rogue back.

"And you to the streets." Said Loki –" You are nothing but trouble." This threw her off. Rogue started shaking in a silent giggle she made her best to stifle, lips glued together and cheeks only barely restrained. "What's wrong?" said Loki –"I believe you need a glass of water, to calm yourself." And he poured her a glass, but when he offered it to her and she put it to her lips, she only laughed harder, spitting the water all over her empty plate.

"Rogue?" The professor addressed her personally, which only made it worse.

Rogue burst into a laughter –"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… be right back…" she left the table, almost folded in half from giggling hysterically.

*


	14. You're Not Rid of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Loki and Rogue have a make-out session against a wall, and everything is coming to a grinding halt (no pun intended).  
> [This is yet my favourite episode so far :)]

_Tie yourself to me_  
_No one else, no_  
_You're not rid of me_  
_You're not rid of me_

_Night and day I breathe_  
_Hah hah ay hey_

_You're not rid of me_

**_[PJ Harvey]_ **

"I will go see that she is alright." Said Loki and took a bow as he rose from his chair, which was awkward to everyone. He left in a hurry to follow Rogue, finding her in the hallway, laughing hard against the wall and holding her stomach –"This was SO stupid. Loki, this was really… hahahahahah!"

"Stupid? The only stupidity was pulling everyone's attention to us."

The laughter was gone, instantly evaporating, and replaced with reproach –"Well, you started it!"

"I was under the impression you liked me touching you."

"I do."

Loki moved forward and put his hand on her waist, his face serious, when his eloquent tongue took over whether he willed it or not  –"You seem to be experiencing some difficulties when it comes to self-control, Mutant."

"Yep."

"I bet you are famous for your heedlessness."

"Yes to that, also."

"Hmm." Loki leaned towards her, craning his neck and slanting it sideways until his lips were aligned with hers. He was determined to discover how close might he get before being fried, or sworn at, or kneed in the testicles. She uttered a small sound when he mashed their bodies together, not entirely aware that he did so, and when he glanced upwards blurringly he noticed that her eyes were closed. That was when he pressed his lips against her mouth with certitude.

There was only a biting sting at his lips propelled by the rash kiss, like a burning sensation that sent a minor shock to his brain; and then her eyes snapped open and she pushed him off of her, clearly upset. –"You fucking stubborn bastard, get a grip!" Rogue's fine features were twisting with something similar to anger, except it wasn't –"I _cannot_. And even if I could, I'm not allowed to, and even if I was allowed, I still wouldn't because you'd only mess me up."  This was a truth.

In his frustration, Loki slammed his hips against hers and pinned her to the wall –"Getting rid of me will not be so simple, Marie." he rumbled lowly, feeling the alcohol from the beer he had with Angel earlier still fizzing in his veins, yet knowing this was not why he had chosen to be so demanding. With her, he had to be, because being careful merely throws her into reasoning, when he doesn't want her to think. Her eyes caught his, sparkling, under heavy lashes.

"And you can save these tears for Remy. They have no effect on me."

"Loki, c'mon… what's in it for you? Nothing…" She said in an entirely different tone, almost apologetic, her expression sweet, mouth crooking to one side, her shoulders slacking in her black sweatshirt. She wasn't trying to fight him off, and there it was again. Something fluid under her toughness. Something so breakable he could hardly resist breaking it.

"They will start wondering where we went." She added, obviously wishing for him to focus his mind on something different, but Loki was not going to have that.

"Really." He was now ferocious, and he slammed her once more against the wall. This time it was purely violent –"I'm used to getting what I want, so worry not of what I get out of this"

Rogue licked her beautiful lips –"Okay." She was lightly trembling when she spoke –"Then take it, stud. What's stopping you?" there was irony in her voice. Bitterness. She lifted both her arms –"I yield." There was a moment when he felt as if he was about to erupt due to her feigned surrender only, his hardness avid against her thigh, but then Loki took hold over himself. He backed away, letting go, raising his own arms as if waking from a trance –"I am  sorry, Marie."

"Oh." Said Rogue, flushed –"You are many things. Sorry is not one of them."

"But I do apologize-" he tried again.

"No need." Said Rogue –"I'm used to it."

"What do you mean?" said Loki with new curiosity –"Did your ex-lover-"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Of course not." Loki snickered –"Because then you would have to explain how the touching part was made possible."

This was a battle of wills and Loki knew he was currently on the losing end. If he wanted this woman, he would have to gather patience. She was indeed full of secrets and turmoil, but he was more than enthused to break it all down. 

"I must say, you are a very intriguing specimen." His tongue was leading again –"You came all the way to the sickbay just to inform me that you desired me."

"I never said that."

"Not in so many words." He agreed –"However, the bottom line remains, that you would fancy me fucking you senseless, whatever the reason may be- and honestly, " he said with an afterthought –"What is it?"

Rogue blushed –"Loki, I swear I will burn you inside out!" and she was now removing one of her gloves and tossed it to her feet.

"Please, don't." he said charmingly –"I just wanted to know more about you."

"Then why won't you ask me normal questions, like what's my favourite colour and what music I like listening to, stupid stuff like that."

"I would if I wanted to bore both of us to death." Loki said with a grin, he recognized her guards going down, because with this girl, beneath all of her changing moods- she was permanently, innately sexual- and that tendency ruled over all the others. He moved closer, this time with caution.

"Are you gonna try and kiss me again?"

"No."

"Rape me against the wall?"

"No."

"That's a shame." Said Rogue and Loki chuckled, placing both his hands on her hips.

"Well, this is going to be difficult, but I have the feeling we can sort it out." He promised unknowingly, finally satisfied at being able to flip her into one of her fairly docile dispositions. Her hips were solid under his hold, all hard muscles and capsulated energy. She was strong like a Valkyrie. And she could actually fly, which he admired. His hands roamed the arc of her waist, under her ribs, and then descended back to her hips and circled her behind, tracing the curve of her buttocks, and then he pressed against her for the third time, and it was gentle, almost like a question, though his erection was now poking at her belly and it made her lips part, still soundless.

*

Rogue couldn't figure him out, as he was confusing her. His many identities and his myriad behaviors sending mixed messages to both her body and her brains. She looked up at him, and for the first time considered him gorgeous. True, standing in line with her many suitors he would have never been her first choice, not even second or third, or even fifth, but there was something about his big eyes, his angular face and his demeanor that was irresistible.

"Am I doing well, mutant?" asked Loki with a straight voice, but a vein in his neck was visible, blue under his marble skin "Is that how you like it?"

"Don't call me that." Rogue pushed her right leg between his.

"You reckon I like the names you've been calling me? Handsome and Stud… and the worst of all… 'Sugar'"

"It's just a habit…" admitted Rogue. "Doesn't mean anything, really."

"Why do you keep using the word 'really', when it is unneeded. Like a pointless addition to every second sentence. You say it even when you _lie_." He trailed her the side of her body, moving upwards until he met her breast. Rogue froze.

"Too much?" he asked.

Rogue shook her head –"No, I just didn’t have anyone do that-"

"Since Remy?" Loki rolled his eyes –"See, I told you we needed to talk about that."

"I don't want to."

"That will just slow us down."

"I'm sorry." She had to explain everything when it came to him. Every single bit of hesitation, every confusion and every whim –"We humans need time to heal, when we hurt." Said Rogue with a steely face, and yet she was holding him close to her with her gloved hand. One splendid paradox altogether. No wonder it had made him mad.

"But you are no human." Said Loki. –"So why would you identify as one." Now, that was plain cruel, though unintended for a change. Rogue was turned off so abruptly, and she took back everything: her hand, her body heat, her passion, even her mind. She was gone. He has made a grave mistake.

"I don't think being human is a good thing-" Loki sputtered. 

"Shut it, Loki." Rogue was straightening her clothes.

*

"I used to read minds." He assured her- "It's terribly hard to know what you think when I cannot-" That was a truth.

"Fuck you." Said Rogue. And she was now truly angry. He couldn't see why. He tried to move closer once more, to fix it, but one sparkle from her free hand sent him flying and crashing against the other side of the hallway, the portrait of Professor X landing gracelessly on his face. This was when he learned she didn't need a direct contact in order to wreck. He clambered to his feet inelegantly, shaking bits of wood out of his hair, and Rogue was on the other side, furious. He did want her, but she was not like the Asgardian girls who never made a big fuss about sex, and she was not like the Midgardian girls who always fell under his spell and were ever so easy to take. No, she was a different breed, but instead of recognizing it, instead of celebrating it, she denied it; and when he gave her a compliment, she heard an insult. This was a fiasco.

"What is going on here!?" It was Storm who stormed in. Now this woman had an incredible sense of timing. She positioned herself between the two of them, her gaze switching from one to the other. Loki was the first to speak. He picked up the bashed Xavier portrait, holding it in front of him –"Well, we were thinking about relocating this masterpiece; however, we have encountered a minor disagreement regarding which wall would be the most fitting, and hence-" he could see, to his amazement- Rogue struggling to hold back yet another giggle out of the corner of his eye. She liked his jokes, even as he was shooting from the hip, and that was a revelation.

*

"You will cease this foolishness." Storm glared at him and turned to Rogue –"What are you playing at?" in response Rogue merely shook her head for she knew that if she opened her mouth, she will burst out laughing.

"And you put this down. Right now." She said to Loki, referring to the picture, but as Loki turned to rest the picture on the floor against the wall, he was taking way too long. –"Just give it a rest already!" she pressed on, and when Loki turned around slowly to face her again, the hardness in his trousers stood as erect as a soldier waiting for orders, and he was smirking when Storm's eyes widened in horror. –"YOU!" she said to Loki –"Go to your room! Now!".

"Yes, M'am."  And with another mocking bow, Loki slid out of the hallway like a serpent, and the two girls were alone.

"And you." Said Storm to Rogue, still shaken –"I suppose you are having fun? You have disappointed all of us."

"Surprise." Spat Rogue, now moody "You expect me to disappoint you. I didn't do anything wrong. I was having a chat with a fellow X-men in the hallway. How is that a sin."

"Do not play innocent with me, little missy. Are you losing it again, like you did when Wolverine left? Because if so, I will have to let the others know. I cannot cover for you anymore, you know it. Jean said that she could sense through the meeting, how you and Loki were busy fondling each other under the table."

"Well, I don't give a shit what Jean thinks." Said Rogue –"You know she hates me. And why do you care anyway? Why do you listen to her. You're supposed to be on my side!" exclaimed Rogue.

"I am on your side, of course I am! I am trying to protect you."

"I do not need to be babied if I decide to flirt with men. That is my decision, my body, and my life."

"So, were you? Making out with him?" why did Storm have to make it so hard. Rogue just flicked her hair –"Well, maybe I am the next queen of Asgard and we will get married and have lots of kinky sex and lots of disturbed children who will come back to bite you in the bum!" and she crossed her arms under her chest.

Storm softened a little –"Please stop it, Rogue. This is serious. He is not just any man. I would never interfere otherwise… I told you he was dangerous, and I explained to you that he is our prisoner, yet you just keep ignoring my warnings. Jean is… she fears he might be able to turn you against us, if you keep this little game of yours-"

"Fuck Jean!" said Rogue –"And anyways, this isn't a game."

"It really looks like one."

"Well," telling Storm about what Xavier put her up to was tempting, and yet Rogue remembered her promise to him to keep it quiet. But whatever she was doing, she was certainly not doing it for the Professor. Maybe it was best to let Storm know.

"I just like him, okay?"

"Rogue-" started Storm

"No, do not tell me off. I am not the lost teenager you have taken under your wing. Stop worrying."

"Rogue-" Storm tried again.

"Hey, I'm okay." Rogue fabricated a smile and patted her friend on the shoulder –"Really. Fine."

"Well, since you came back, you have been-" Storm held onto her hand. 

"What. Have I been?" Rogue looked her straight in the eye, and for one moment, Storm looked ashamed.

"Wild." Said Storm.

"Have your love of your life break up with you and see how you do." Returned Rogue, and then she picked up her glove and left. Dramatically, as she would often since her comeback, and still feeling Loki's lips clutching unto hers so very forcefully.

*

 


	15. Shock Me Like an Electric Eel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Loki and Rogue have an intense pillow talk.

**_She got the current in her hand_ ** **_  
Just shock you like you won't believe_ **

**_[MGMT]_ **

Sending Loki to his room was legitimate and made sense. He really must know his place in the group- which is meant to be the bottom of the food chain, when in fact he makes them all look like idiots most of the time. He had it coming, for sure. Perhaps there needs to be a stricter curfew, or a tracker, that they used to use with some of the wilder students in the past. The Professor hated it, but it had proven itself efficient. Sending Rogue to her room, however, was indeed a desperate last resort, rather demeaning and kind of anachronistic; but she felt it was necessary, if not crucial. What else was she supposed to do? It was time for Storm to use her authority, after overlooking Rogue's behavior three times already. After the episode in the hallway she could not remain inactive anymore, so she followed Rogue and ordered her to go to her room and stay put till morning, like a mum would. She would have to speak to Xavier, she had told her. Rogue's face was all distrust, and she called her a control freak and a bitch and several other names before walking away, who knows where to- but Storm wasn't going to let her off the hook this time.

She took in a deep breath as she pressed the knob- "Professor-" weary,  she stepped into Xavier's study, holding his ruined picture in her left hand. It was a heavy artifact with a wooden frame, painted in oil, and the artist who crafted it was very generous with the model. The background of it was bright and illuminated, generating the illusion that the painted professor was pulsating with light. Even Storm thought it tacky.

"I am really sorry to interr-" she began, and closed her mouth with she saw Jean was already there, looking rattled. –"I could come back later." She said, gesturing towards the portrait –"It's not-"

"Do stay, Storm." Asked Jean –"So this may turn into an intervention."

"What about?"

"You came here to speak to him about Rogue and Loki, am I right?" Jean sent an accusing glance at Charles –"He needs to know I am not the only one concerned."

"I'm listening." Storm put down the portrait and closed the door behind her, leaning against it with her hands behind her back and her face attentive.

"Apparently Xavier believes that assigning Rogue to be the God of Chaos' sex-slave is a good idea." Jean seemed enraged, and although her tone was measured, her face was burning to match the colour of her hair.

"He told her to?" asked Storm, amazed –"Did you tell her to, Professor? I just caught them making out in the hallway-"

"Figures!"

The Professor's voice was very quiet when he spoke –"Girls. Sit down, both of you. Please." His expression was tired, and his bald head shone unflatteringly under the soft glow of the bulb.

"Please." He repeated, and both women looked at each other before taking the comfortable couches and settling in front of him.  

Storm has always held respect towards Xavier. If Jean was indeed telling the truth, what could it mean? That he had gone insane? Sending Rogue to… to do what exactly? A sex-slave was probably an exaggeration, considering her situation; however, this evening was the third time since Rogue returned, that she was found close to Loki. No, 'close' was not the word-

"I owe you both an explanation." Said Xavier –"I had been too presumptuous. You would think that being in this wheelchair will blow away all of my airs, but unfortunately I still luxuriate in thinking I am a mastermind from time to time."

Storm gulped –"What do you mean, Professor?"

A sad smile was decorating his face, he cleared his throat and continued –"When Loki tumbled from the skies, I was not ready for him. _We_ weren't ready. I gave you the assurance that we were. I did not know what his stay with us would bring, but I did believe we had the power to accommodate it."

"But we don't! We don't. He's disrupting everything!"  cried Jean.

"Yes, that is one of the qualities that he carries with him-"

"Qualities!" barked Jean –"Why call them qualities, when you can call them by their name- **_obscenities_**!"

"Nevertheless," Charles disregarded her outburst –"once Rogue rejoined us, it became much more complicated. This, was when I had to think, how to defuse the explosiveness of the two of them together."

"By sex." Completed Jean –"Because what's more defusing."

"Think, girls." Xavier did not lose his cool –"Why would I tell Rogue to get near him? Am I out of my mind?" he smiled fondly at Storm, who was considering every single word.

"Because she is a bombshell." Snarled Jean –"Fight fire with fire, defuse a bomb with a bomb."

"No…" said Storm thoughtfully, and suddenly she could see it clear and stark –"Rogue never follows orders… she hates being told… she would do the opposite. For spite."

Jean's eyes were softening –"Reverse psychology, Professor? Really? Would it even work with her? With _him_?"

"Not quite." He replied –"I could see they were interested, both of them. I cannot stop it, and if I placed obstacles in their path, I would only be fanning the fire that has already taken hold in their-"

"Genitals." Said Jean.

"Pants." Said Storm.

"I meant _minds_ , but that also works."

"So what shall we do, then? Nothing?" asked Storm.

"We are already doing what we can." Replied Xavier.

"Yeah." Jean's concerned face was no longer concerned, but she was obviously still displeased –"I guess we just have to play along with it, puke at the side of the road every once in a while and keep it all hush-hush."

It has been ages since Storm was able to see such anger in Jean, and she wondered what may have caused it.

"I regret not sharing my plan with you earlier." Charles admitted –"I did not wish to drag you into this, but it turned out to be an error."

"Hold on-" said Storm, because Jean was already leaving –"What about Rogue? What if he kills her? What if he breaks her heart? Nobody cares about that?"

Tired, the Professor looked so tired –"Aurora," he said with compassion –"knowing Rogue for so many years, has it never occurred to you, that perhaps she earnestly believes being heartbroken is the only way for her to _be_? Otherwise why choose Logan, and Remy when she could have chosen anyone else. Think about it. "

Storm frowned. This was definitely something to think about, and she possibly already had the answer, even if it saddened her. She could control the weather, but not the decisions of other people. She could save the world, from time to time, but protecting her friends was apparently beyond her.

"Aurora, I am a bit curious- why did you bring my portrait with you? And what had happened to it?"

"Oh," Storm completely forgot about _that,_ and once reminded, she was blushing –"It was a sexident." She couldn't tell whether the professor was amused or honestly interested.

"What is the meaning of the term?" he inquired, probably too exhausted to read her mind, or maybe he was only relishing making her talk about embarrassing stuff.

"Professor, I wasn't there when it happened, but I came in straight away when I heard the noise, I had…" she blushed even more –"many reasons to believe that there was some severe touching involved, maybe some hassling and wrestling- the result of which was the destruction of your portrait." She gulped, and it was louder than she would have wanted. –"Just a hint of what the two of them are capable of when they are alone together." Her tone was bitter –"I just wish she wasn't so hardheaded."

"Hardheaded, yes; but I am not so positive that she is as hasty as she used to be."

Storm shrugged –"Well, I am not as optimistic as yourself, Professor. Anyway, I guess we'll wait and see."

*

Going to her room, without supper. Like a child. Like a baby. "Go to your room!" her parents would say, when she broke the TV set, when she wore a tiny skirt to high school on its first day, when she partied all night with some friends, and came back smelling like cigarettes. When she got drunk for the first time, on the roof; when she sent Cody into a coma for the rest of his miserable life. "Go to your room!", "Go to your room!"- the only irony in it, being the fact that when she murdered all of Cody's possibilities, they were in her room to begin with. Kissing. _She has just kissed Loki._

Go to you room.

Storm said, to both her and Loki. Rogue was taking it step by step, pounding on each one as she marched upwards, because everyone needed to know she was going upstairs. The universe needed to acknowledge that she was mistreated and punished unfairly, for engaging in normal activity. When she finally arrived, unnoticed, she kicked the door open and sat on her bed, working the buckles of her heavy boots, when a sob crawled up her throat. She was not normal. She was a _mutant._ And even among mutants she was still an anomaly. A sentient being who cannot touch other beings. What an exquisite and original super power! If there was a god, he should be given kudos for that.  

No, there was no reason to cry for being what she was or for being treated like a child. If anything, she must be grateful for having a place to stay. After all, catching Remy and whats-her-name of an x-wife (she wasn't his ex-wife, she was his current wife, and her name was Bella, which meant 'beautiful' in some languages, because she was beautiful- Rogue had to remind herself)- made it impossible for her to stay in the house they shared. She didn’t even pick up her stuff as she fled. That thought alone made her shiver with self-pity, and she was about to cry now. Pathetic. No, she would not cry-

"Where I come from, a maiden's door left ajar is a well-known sign that she wishes for company."

Rogue jerked with a boot in her hand and unshed tears in her eyes to see Loki on the threshold –"Oh, fuck, Loki! you gave me quite a fright." She said, relieved.

"My specialty" said he, still in his black leather uniform, leaning against the hinges. He always wore his uniform, even when he didn't need to. Which was aimless, and weird. But then everything about him was weird.

"Loki…" Rogue sniffed, tossing the boot aside and agonizingly out of glamour –"We've made them all alert now. They better not find you here."  

"Here I was on this fine evening." Said he, passively rejecting her remark –"Sauntering in the general direction of my room, when I noticed an open door. I had to explore." He turned to close the door silently, as Rogue's breath hitched, and approached the bed, where she was sitting –"And what do I see?" Rogue looked up at him, blinking heavily, not entirely sure whether he was trying to make her laugh, or that this was his habit- speaking satire.  

"Chaos." He answered his own rhetorical question.

Rogue looked about the room with a bit of a panic- it was, indeed, a mess. There were clothes scattered all over the place, and there were empty beer cans, and half-consumed beer cans, and tipped beer cans, and shoes, and toiletries, and the sheets- oh, god, the sheets- haven't been changed since she came back. They haven't been changed since she left, to be exact. The pillow was crisscrossed with smears of lipstick, there were holes in the fabric for stray spliffs, there were ugly patches of sweat, or perhaps it was greasy food that she had in bed while watching films deep into dawn because she couldn't sleep, which was almost always, when Remy was not  -

"A big bunch of chaos."

"It's… well, it's my room, Sugah." Rogue said defensively, although she was insulted–"Didn't expect any guests. Tonight. Or ever…"

"My dear mother used to say that a house should be always welcoming, no matter the mess underneath."

"Well, your dear mother must be receiving visitors very often." Rogue wanted to bite back, but then Loki only smiled with conceit. It was then when he had caught her eyes, and Rogue felt as if the earth was quacking. She swayed slightly, under his glance, because it was infatuating.

"And in any case, chaos is not a problem."

"Yeah I know, Spaceboy. You kinda drill about it." She said dismissively, yet sensing a raw tension, knowing what was materializing and fearing it greatly, because he was out of order, and because he wasn't ordinary.

"What's wrong, mutant?" he asked casually, his eyes on her, scanning.

"You just-"

"Indeed. I just. I simply. _Do what I want_." Another smile, unreadable in nature, a quirk at his mouth -"I thought I was very explicit about this matter, as I am certain you have the intelligence to grasp my messages. Lie down."

This was an order, not a request. She swallowed, hard. Loki was standing very close, smelling like lemon and sweat, and she could have sent him into a coma, she could have removed one glove to turn him into a puddle of his sorry self, she could have just yelled- she could have-

Rogue lay down flat on the bed, staring up at him, knees shaking.

There was something like surprise in his eyes, but it was gone in a flash. And then he sat slowly on the bed, and idly put his hand in her hair. It was then when she noticed he also had gloves on- they did come with the uniform, but unless in combat, he never wore them before. _He came prepared._ The idea made her feel edgy and swindled, as if a chapter in the book of her was written behind her back and without her permission.

 "Alright?" his fingers were massaging her scalp, which only made her edgier. She felt exposed, unbalanced and unprepared.

"No… Loki. Not alright."

"What is it?"

"I can't sleep with you." She said, painfully –"Why are you-"

"I'm sure we've covered that part ages ago. You can sleep next to me, tho."

Rogue swallowed again, gazing up into his green eyes that were swirling orbs, and the idea was tempting. Letting go was tempting, when he was relentless and pushy. No one was this inexorable about her before, except for-

"Taking too long" he sighed –"I do value your thoughts, mutant. But for now I wish them quelled, as they are nothing but implausible jitters that hack at your brain."  

And with that, he allowed himself into her bed, uncaring, uninvited, he crawled and squirmed until he was behind her, once tossing and kicking the junk out of the way, wordlessly sending one arm to pull and then secure her against his ever-prodding cock, as if she were a thing, to be moved around and controlled and spoken for- a pinch of excitement brought her senses aflame and her body a bundle of knots.  So close. Crushingly close. His arm around her was both a comfort, and a restraint. His passion both a demand and a drug that obscured her reason until it was waving a white flag and gone out the window. Rogue placed her hands on his forearm, clutching it instinctively and letting out a true, shuddering breath of release. There was a man holding her, it didn't matter who he was, because he wanted her, and because he was there.

"See, I knew you'd like it."

"What if I-"

"Shocked me like an electric eel in your sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I would tie you down and made sure you couldn't move or hurt anyone."

Rogue twitched at the words.

"That's –"

"Or perhaps I would die by your hand, and everyone would celebrate in a festive banquet, and send you thank you notes and bouquets."

"Loki…"

"What, mutant?" his voice was so soft this time, it almost touched her heart.  

"I could never go to sleep like that..."

"Then it's torture all around." Said Loki flatly, his nose burrowing into her shoulder blades.

"I don't fancy being tortured." Mumbled Rogue.

"We don't know that for sure."

*


	16. Your Hands Around My Throat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [sorry for taking time, woz caught up in the real world]  
> In which Loki and Rogue explore each other, but fellow X-Men would not approve...

_Got hips like Cinderella_  
_Must be having a good shame_  
_Fall on your face in those bad shoes_  
_Lying there like you're TAME_

_**[The Pixies]** _

 

"In bed." Announced Kitty and straightened her glasses up the arc of her nose.

"In bed" repeated Storm slowly and sat down on a stool, placing both palms on her temples –"That's not gonna be good for anyone."

"I really don't wanna say I told you so." Snarled Jean.

"You really obviously do." Replied Storm angrily. The three of them were in the kitchen, gathered around the counter that was loaded with a steaming kettle of herbal tea and freshly baked cookies- all neglected. Jean had the idea of sending Kitty to spy on Loki and Rogue through the wall, and she has returned with the unfortunate news not a moment ago. Two words: "In bed."

"Were they sleeping together?"

"Uh-uh. They were sleeping together." Nodded Kitty, looking rather shaken. As usual, her hair was covering half of her face and her little shoes were chafing together nervously.

"You’d have to be more coherent than that, Kitty." Jean spoke to her as one would to the dim-witted; but Storm knew the kid was not lacking intelligence. She was just socially awkward and anxious.

"What's coherent?" Kitty's cheeks were painted crimson.

"It means clear." Helped Storm in an encouraging tone –"Were they sleeping as in sleeping? Or having sex?"

"As in sleeping." Muttered Kitty –"But I only looked for a moment, couldn't stay longer-"

"Have they spotted you?" Jean, again.  

"No, I don't think…"

"Wonderful. I think this has gone far enough, when I knew it would come to this, but nobody listened to me, because nobody ever does."

"What do you suggest we do, Jean?" asked Storm honestly.

"Take the matter into our hands." Jean did not have to be specific for Storm to understand she meant bypassing Xavier, or perhaps pushing him harder until he is convinced that letting the two anarchists get together wasn't gonna win him a Nobel Prize.

"What matter?" Angel was in one of his prying moods as he stepped into the kitchen, folding his wings garishly. Jean's sour smile clashed with his flashy one over the counter.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Warren."

"You mean Loki?" he helped himself to a handful of cookies and tucked them into his mouth, when his blue eyes brightened –"Mmmm, these are amazing! Kitty, did you make them?" he turned to the girl –"You really outdid yourself this time! You should make them everyday from now on. No, you know what? I don't wanna ever get tired of them, so save them for special occasions, like… once a week or something."

But then Kitty gave a miserable whine and to the astonishment of all present, her eyes surged with tears behind her glasses.

"What? What did I say?" Angel spat half a cookie onto his hand and stared at it with terror –"Was she saving them or something? Hey, I'm sorry!" he cried –"I'll make you new ones! I'm googling the recipe right now! What were they called? Cinnamon swirls?"

Jean only glared at him.

"Oh, no, Kitten! What is the matter, child?" asked Storm, and got up to wrap her arms around Kitty and press her to her bosom. Kitty was merely shaking her head wordlessly.

"Are you worried about Rogue, Sweetheart?" Storm was stroking her hair affectionately.

"Rogue?" wondered Angel –"What happened to Rogue?"

"Nothing happened to her. Stay out of it."

Kitty's answer was yet another incoherent sound that reminded Storm of a wounded puppy.

"It's alright, Kitty. We have everything under control, yeah? Here, sweetheart. Have some tea." But the kid refused to have tea, or water, or chocolate, or let go of Storm for some ten minutes, before she cried herself hollow and was only spewing sporadic hiccups. Face still hidden in Storm's blouse.

"My, my. You've had a long day, haven't you? Why don't you go up to your room for a good night rest? I will come check on you in a short while, okay?" offered Storm, and took a step back to hold Kitty's face in her hands and brush a kiss over her forehead –"What do you say?"

Kitty nodded silently, her glasses coated with vapours and her chin pressed tightly, to imply she was still upset, but she followed Storm's suggestion anyway and disappeared up the staircase.

"What are you waiting for??" barked Jean at Angel –"Go and stay with Kitty until she feels better!"

"Well, okay, no need to shout, Jean. Like, I dunno what happened, but you can just ask nicely…. Sometimes." Angel helped himself to two more cookies before shuffling up the staircase, dragging his gigantic wings behind him.

"Jean, you know, Angel is sensitive. You may think that he's stupid-"

"Why didn't Xavier make her stay in the school? She is a baby!" Complained Jean once Kitty and Angel were out of the kitchen. –"Does he expect us to rely on her in combat?"

Jean was never calm and cool- that was something every X-Men knew. However, Storm did feel she was forgetting how to approach the people under her supervision, and she could not really see why. The only choice she had was to shower her with realities, in hope she would wake up –"Jean! You don't know how traumatized Kitty may be, nobody does, the things that she had seen before she came to us. Sending her to spy on them was a mistake and it was irresponsible." Chided Storm –"She's only a child!"

"Then her place is with the X-Babies." Insisted Jean.

"It's not all black and white."

"Maybe, but it's done now, Aurora. Anyways, at least one thing is for sure- the alien is getting a tracker." Jean was decisive as she got up and brushed invisible dust off her pants –"I'll go tell the Professor. You better warn Rogue."

"By telling her what?" Storm's fist was clenching next to her thigh.

"You don't know what a warning is? Tell her to send her unruly prince downstairs before I'll come in there and get him by his unruly prick."

"I kinda believe you when you say that you will…"

*

Adrift and afloat on the tides of sleepless sleep, the sleep of the aroused, that was both palpable and evasive at the same time, Loki was savoring this form of torment; because mating was undoubtably rewarding and gratifying, but hanging on the precipice of it elevated the contact into the realms of the celestial. His cock was disagreeing, of course, and in this human form it was hard to reign, and primarily just hard. A tower of steel lodging in his pants and refusing to relent. The other complication was the mutant, who evidently did not appreciate his manner of handling her and made it known by fidgeting and stirring about in his grip, when she was not saying his name aimlessly, or actively attempting to shake him off. These attempts he recognized to be but a front, a frolic, to get him to move and to respond which he did by claiming her more vigorously, letting her feel he was still awake. Well, half-awake at the least. Awake enough to know that he had to be on his best behavior around her, because his mild behavior was terrible, and his worst behavior was savage. She would never undertake it. Regretfully, he played with the ideas of the things he will never dare to do to her, and sighed deeply into her shoulder blades. Promising to tie her down was only a jest, some dirty talk to compensate for the fact they could only touch through a veil, and shedding their clothes was an aching fantasy. He wondered how long it would take for the other X-Men to discover that he was out of his bed, and to boot- in the bed of another! Not very long, given the fact Storm was so devastated to catch them romping in the corridor- the thought was delightful. Why were they so afraid of him getting near Rogue, but not Angel, when he could equally ravage him had he chosen to do so? Correction: although she was fond of him, the electric lady remained untouchable, which meant it was safe for them to make out- so why worry for her so much. The skin to skin contact which occurred twice had threatened Loki's existence, not hers, so there were no prospects of ravaging. Unless she decided to reveal her more adventurous nature, but it was her call- not his. He stretched around his prize as his left hand started circling one of her breasts with nonchalance, meaning nothing.

"Is that helpful?"

"Are you sure 'helpful' was the word you were looking for?" sniggered Rogue, but he could tell she was turned on. Her humour, he had learnt by now, was her coy way to avoid diving into the moment or letting him know he had an effect on her- which she probably interpreted as showing weakness. Maybe it was how she was trained, or she was truly laughing at his expense- he had kicked that last thought out of the way with disdain.

"I noticed you were having trouble sleeping, so I was trying to ease you into it. How does it feel?"

"If I could feel it, I'd tell you." Muttered Rogue into the pillow.

Loki grunted, reading the signs – she likes it rough, had she not said so herself? _Then rough it shall be, Lady._ So much for dozing off, he was wide awake now, and with an impulse that was conquering his spirit, Loki slid his hand upwards and rested it around her throat, just to test the waters. He felt her growing petrified by the suddenness of the move, her breath halting in her chest – which was intoxicating and nearly made him cum on spot. _If he could only get her to relax whilst in that state._

"Feeling sleepy yet?" he taunted, although he did not quite mean it at that point- it was just a nasty habit, making him sound a cliché when he wasn't. This would only drive her off.

"Funny."

"Don't fret." He whispered –"You know I cannot harm you."

"I don't fear you, Loki." That sounded like half a lie.

"Good, then."  

His thumb caressed the side of her neck gently, until she had released the air that was locked her lungs- he found himself exhaling at the same time. "Though if I choke you, you're allowed to start panicking." Rogue swallowed- he had sensed it through the glove, and smiled blissfully in the darkness, unable to calculate if this was happening for real, unable to fully surrender to his natural inclinations, but getting a taste of them was more than he had had planned for tonight. And it was glorious. His tongue was also cracking its constraints, and soon enough it was prattling and pouring supple words into her ear, to contrast with his diabolic touch. The fact that she could kill him with hers only thrilled him further. He worked his thumb up and down a noticeable scar, when he heard the softest jingle of metal and opened his eyes, intrigued.

"Is that a chain around your neck, Marie?" he shifted them both and rose to lean and support himself on one elbow, until he was looking down on her, hand still placed under her chin, but applying no pressure. Her gaze seemed to swoon under droopy eyelids, which made his smile widen, but then her voice sounded collected when she spoke-

"Yep it is, Spaceboy."

"Why do you carry it?"

"Because I like it?"

"Then why hide it under your clothes?" Loki moved his hand down to grab the chain and pull it from beneath the upper part of sweatshirt- much to the mutant's protests- to discover it was a locket. His smile went crooked –"A sentimental souvenir? Say from an ex-lover?" the adrenaline was washing over him as he tugged at the chain –"Shall we open it?"

"Knock it off, Loki." Rogue slapped his hand away, agitated, and placed the locket back between her breasts –"I don't expect you to understand."

He was mad now. Not to have her physically was one thing, but to have her erect these mental walls to block his advances time and again, and never fall under his spell was riling him up, and it had to end. He took her chin in his hand and marveled when she went limp instead of fighting him, like a bird feigning death in the claws of a cat - to trick him into sparing its life. He would have kissed her violently, and ripped off her clothes, and take her against the door, or maybe on the floor- but those were his days back in Asgard. Here, on Midgard with the mutants, he had to revise everything he knew about women. Or maybe it had nothing to do with Midgard or mutants, but with a singular example of defiance – indecisive, capricious and engaging in useless games that led them nowhere. Very well. He shall peel her layer after layer if he must, to get _to the bottom of things_.  

"Remy gave it to you?" he demanded, tilting her head upwards.

"No, my mother." That was a lie. He didn't have to read minds to spot that one- she didn't even look him in the eye. Was she teasing him? Or protecting herself? After all, what good would it do him to know that Remy had left his mark on her. He had left his mark with or without the locket. His touch loosened and the wild wind that was blowing inside him subsided. "I also, don't expect you to understand." He heard himself saying, letting out a long breath –"You must consider me insane."

"I consider you an asshole, it's not the same."

"An asshole?" Loki raised one eyebrow, truly not getting it.

"Well some parts are just private." Rogue flushed.

"Not with me." He returned, and his lips tightened.

Right. So the evening was ruined, yet again. And a buzz at his backside reminded him that he had his phone on, deep in his pants. He let go of Rogue so that he could pull if out of his back pocket and check who was seeking him. Angel's name flickered on the screen.  Loki got to his feet and was about to summarize their get together with some final words, and he was glancing at Rogue who looked delicious- spread out on the bed as she was- although her eyes were fire and sparks, then there was another buzz. This time it came from the door.

"Oh, shit!" Rogue bounced into a standing position with such force and agility, he couldn't help but admire it. However he touched her, whatever he had done to her- she _let_ him do it. He knew so with certainty and an ounce of humility, as she was panicking in earnest –"Loki! Go hide under the bed or som'ing!"

"I would have to be a mouse in order to fit under there." He said with indifference.

"Then the closet! Hurry!"

"Your closet could not host a humanoid if it was a midget and had all of its limbs clipped." Answered Loki calmly.

"That's a horrible image!"

"I thought you appreciated truths." He gestured at the closet that could not even close over the clothes overflowing in piles and heaps of textures and colour, aiming to explode and flood the room with their parade of messy messiness. Because the girl was far from being put together and her wardrobe was following her footsteps.

Another buzz at the door.

"Oh, the hell with it!" Rogue pulled it open with a squall- so strong that the door bounced back from the wall and almost hit the faces of Storm and Jean who were waiting behind it, but it was Loki who grabbed it before it did.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" said he, pleasantly.

"You will owe some pain if you're not careful, Asgardian." Said Jean, seeming surprised to find him dressed. Loki plainly smiled back.

"You were given clear instructions. Both of you." Chided Storm. Chiding was something she was best of. In fact, if there was a chiding tournament Storm would come first.

"We took them more as recommendations." Said Loki.

"This is like kindergarten all over again-" snapped Rogue at Storm –"Am I not allowed to have men in my room now?"

"Not if they're prisoners, who were told to stay put."

"Fine, Aurora! Then shove me in the corner and have me reflect on my terrible crimes."

_Shove her in the corner_. Now, that was an idea right there, and Loki's mind was already adopting it, but then a counter thought had made him despondent – that she was only using him to get back at her suppressors. Depressing, yes. But clever. However-

"We just need a chat with Loki, Rogue. That's all."

"You don't need my permission to chat with him. He isn't a pet." Rogue exclaimed; and Loki was clouding up yet again, because it was _his_ job to keep pets, and not the other way around. He could not wrap his brain around the fact he was the object in this negotiation, and he had no say, and whatever he said, only made things bad.

"I was on my way out anyhow."

"Then I guess you're coming with us."

"As if he had a choice." Snarled Rogue.

"Stay in your room, Marie." Warned Storm, as they escorted Loki into the corridor, then added silently –" _Please_."

*


	17. Shackles & Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sad times for Loki the X-Men prisoner, but he might just be falling in love.

_I step away from the window_  
_I am struck by a nightly disease_  
_Something has been coming_  
_A long time it's been crawling_  
_Out of pitch-black and expanding seas_  
_It's clearly headed in my direction_  
_I am strong but I need protection_

_There is a hole in my heart tonight_

**_[Madrugada]_ **

In the clinic, again, together with Jean who slid some rubber gloves on and had him sitting on the treatment table, his hands clasping the edges, waiting for whatever she had coming for him with an ominous feeling in his guts.

"I must say, I do cherish the time we spend together. Here, in the middle of the night, the two of us-"

"Zip it, Asgardian." Jean was not in the best of moods. Well, alright.

"If you wanted me for yourself, all you had to do was say so. I am not strictly monogamous."

Jean stopped fiddling with the gloves and came to stand over him, glaring –"I know you think this is all about your little fling with the little divorcee. I'd hate to break it to you, Loki, but nobody gives a shit about that."

"Indeed?" said Loki with mock confusion –"Then how come you had me dragged in here with such urgency, after you've snatched me away from the warm bed of my lover?" Jean winced at his words with repulsion and rolled her eyes.

"You know exactly why, smartass. You're still a convict, and as such, you should stay in the cell unless ordered otherwise."

"Your methods are so uninspiring." Complained Loki.

"Yeah, I had the feeling we went too easy on you." Acknowledged Jean flatly.

"In Asgard the prisoners are poked with pitchforks and dragged behind horses in a field of thorns without their garments on."

"Interesting. Well, we are short on pitchforks at the moment, but let's see what you make of this." Smiled Jean viciously –"Take off your shoes and pants."

Despite his chattering, a shot of fear rushed through Loki at the thought of what she was about to carry out, but he was not going to grant Jean the joy of knowing she had scared him. He grinned as he removed his boots, but he also realized this wasn't enough. He had to keep on talking, even if the whole event was about bidding his best parts farewell.

"Does Scott enjoy it when you boss him around?" he wondered, throwing the boots to the floor.

"There's no need for commentary."

"I believe there is. You've created such a loaded atmosphere; it needs a bit of a cheer." Insisted Loki, and he was taking pleasure, albeit a subtle one, in picturing mean Jean making her boyfriend lick the tiles. What else would she do with him for fun? He wasn't able to take the edge off her snide by banging her, might as well have him clean the house.

"On your feet, Asgardian, and out of your pants. Now!" growled Jean, and by the tone of her he guessed that she had read his mind. His grin blossomed into a tangy smirk as he allowed his tongue a rest and rose to his feet in his socks. He was taller than Jean by almost two feet, which slightly shifted the balance of powers and made him forget he was inferior. Loki fixed his gaze on her face as he began to undo his belt with flexible fingers, yanking and jiggling with the buckle until the belt came loose. The button was only a second, but with the zipper he lingered, checking her expression and noting a hint of a shine at her hairline, implying that her heat was rising to the point of perspiration.  Loki hummed as he wiggled out of his leather pants, dropping them to the floor. He was left standing in his briefs and the shirt and jacket of his uniform- not the sexist of looks, but he assumed that this was exactly what Jean was after- putting him down and making him feel insecure.

"What now, Boss?"

"Step out of the pants and lie on the bed, on your back."

"You know, this really isn't a bed." He started as he obeyed, because there was no other option to get this over with. –"While in some philosophies this _could_ count as a bed, merely for the fact that you can lie or sleep in it, any being with a brain would agree that it is no more than a plain plank." Jean was opening a drawer now. What had she in store for him? Was she going to shoot him again with one of her many Midgardian liquors named "medicine", when they were truly witchcraft? These foreign substances that altered and controlled his human form and made him pliable and sleepy and stupid. He was restless again, thinking she must have had a reason to order him out of his pants- was she going to neuter him with her evil sorcery? Make sure that he will never again think of sex or haunt young maidens in their beds-

"Spread your legs." Jean commanded and Loki stared up at the white ceiling, gulping, tracing a moth that was bumping obliviously into the florescent, wearing off its miserable wings. He was wondering if Heimdall was watching him now, or perhaps his idiot brother. How were they taking it? What were they thinking about the fact he was going to lose his freaking dick. What were they thinking about the fact there was nothing he could do about it. Perhaps they were laughing, joking about it, saying he deserved it, for all of his atrocities and all of his barbarity. After all, his cock was his captain when he was deep down under, delving into _the bottom of things_. He was letting his cock take the steering wheel. Loki coughed, because his eyes started stinging.

"Relax." Said Jean.

"Just get it over with." Spat Loki back.

"But where is your cheer, I wonder." She approached the bench with something plastic, round and black in her hand. Before Loki had a chance to examine the gadget closely, however, Jean clicked it shut around his right ankle and kept her hand there for a long while, tapping and clicking on the device until she was satisfied.

"All done." She finally said. Loki blinked with surprise, feeling the odd weight on his leg for the device was heavy and inelegant. It was bound to slow him down during a fight, but then again, he was allowed his cock. He suppressed the urge to hug Jean for not taking it off.

"What does it do?" he asked as he sat upright, somewhat dizzy.

"It's a tracker." Answered Jean casually, removing her gloves –"Don't worry about it, you'll get used to it being there in a day or two. And no, it doesn't come off. Ever."

"So you know where I am all the time?" Loki frowned.

"That's right. You can get dressed now and go straight to your room. No more visiting… what did you call her? Your lover? without permission. I've programmed your schedule into the tracker. If you go somewhere unspecified the tracker will blink and make noise. If you try to remove it, it will blink and make noise. If you try to run while it's blinking, it will send an electric shock that would immediately disable you. Sorry it had to come to this, have a good night."

Hastily, Loki put his pants back on, but left them open as he approached Jean menacingly –"Woman, you are good, I'll give you that. But when I have my powers back-"

"Who says you'll ever get them back?"

"I will not rot here for all eternity, in this pile of garbage!" Loki's tracker began to blink, giving red flashes of light just under his uniform, taking his attention off Jean for a moment.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot." Said Jean smugly –"It also goes off if you lash out at a fellow X-Man, or if you sound like you're about to hurt someone friendly."

"Friendly." Loki chuckled –"You clearly wanted more than just friendship since you had me take off my pants for no reason other than stare at my-"

"I had you take off your pants as they are too tight and would not roll up enough to reveal your ankle." Said Jean placidly.

"And the gloves? You only put them on to scare me."

"No," said Jean slowly –"I used gloves because I had no wish of touching any semen that might have been discharged down your pants earlier this evening, because frankly you disgust me."

"Touché" said Loki.

*

When he had reached his room, he curled up in bed with his hand down his trousers, flooded with thoughts. He was too preoccupied and vexed to get himself off. His hand was there only to make certain that his cock was still attendant, and willing and able. He rubbed it to half mast and then let go, turning to his pillow and putting a few decent punches into it. It was then that his tracker glowed blood red – nothing was working for him. Loki pulled the blanket around himself, since it was getting colder by the day. His open window let the drizzle in, blown by the autumn wind- but it also carried the scent of moist earth, the zest of lemon and moss altering with the change of the seasons, the hoot of the owl and the trill of the nightjar. And then, there was also hope in leaving his window open, in spite of the bars. It was the hope that his brother would come fetch him. His brother would always come fetch him, when the situation was grim, even when they were kids. His brother forgave him for everything. The human mutants were much less forgiving.

Loki tossed and turned for many hours, as the crescent moon spilled her faint gleam upon his insomnia and nightly disease, growing paler as she was chased in turn by dawn. He knew he was catching something, but it was illusive and unpredictable in nature, a creature roiling in his belly, making him watchful and wired. Only the gray clouds protected him from the rising sun who climbed up his airy steps at a lazy pace. He remembered not when he'd abandoned consciousness for the sake of the dream realm, but he did remember his spooky dream- a very wet kiss stolen from Rogue's luscious lips had thrown his vocal cords into paralysis. They were standing in Jean's clinic, but it looked more similar to his Asgard bedroom, and the bed board was covered in thorns. "The pet cannot speak for himself" she had echoed, and then he awoke to his tracker buzzing, and his face drenched in a puddle of drool. He will be not skipping any X-Men activities from now on…

 

"You sure are stubborn, Lockster, stubborn like a five-year-old." Said Angel as they were relaxing after a hard run in the rain. It was mid-afternoon, but the sky above them was darkening already, and they were stretching on the pavement of the X-Men mansion, releasing the tension in their muscles.

"Why did you have to make Jean so angry, to pull out her _weapons of doom_ at you?"  Angel was shaking his beautiful locks.

"I have no idea what you are babbling on about." Answered Loki with a straight face, squatting a couple of times, and then moving on to some lunges. Maintaining this human form was a real nuisance.

"No?" Angel laughed, his handsome face wet from rain and sweat –"just answer me this: did you wake up with blue balls this morning?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Angel rolled his eyes –"It's when you make out with a chick, and you don't get to come, so your balls start aching."

"Aha." Said Loki

"Oh, c'mon. I know you've spent the night at Rogue's. Tell me how it was, c'mon, be a buddy!"  
Loki ceased his stretching and gave Angel a perplexed gaze –"And what good would knowing about it do you?"

Angel shrugged –"I'm just… this is what we do, among friends, you know? We tell each other the juicy stuff… for fun."

"There were no juices involved, I assure you." Said Loki grimly.

Angel laughed –"That bad, huh? Let me tell you, heartbreak can be hard on some chicks. And then they want men around them, but all they wanna do with them is cuddle and talk."

Loki looked at Angel as if he was seeing him for the first time, his eyes peering –"So it is customary?"

Angel patted Loki on the shoulder, obviously sympathizing with him –"Don't get dragged into long conversations and supportive hugging, Lockster, or else you'll end up in the friendzone."

"And where that might be?"

"It's the place where men die holding onto their dicks, as they hear about other men while silently screaming."

"Excuse me?" Loki was completely lost now.

"Hahahaha! It isn't a place, really. It's like… when a girl kinda likes you, but she would only let you come so close to her, but she would never let you come. Because she only wants you to be her comforting friend and tell her how beautiful and sweet she is for hours. Get it?"

"Oh." Said Loki "OH." As the message sank in, and then he was annoyed again, feeling the weight of the tracker around his ankle. Was the mutant playing him? Oh, if the mutant was playing him, he knew many ways to make her regret it. Next time they are intimate, he would not be so merciful- his face hardened as well as his cock- he would teach her a lesson in humility. He was too gentle with her from the beginning, too moderate- and what did that earn him? Shackles and shame.

"I told you she was trouble." Repeated Angel in a heartfelt voice –"Also, she just came out of a relationship. I don't see why you get all tangled up with her."

"For the sake of entertainment." Said Loki dryly and put his hoodie back on, because the sweat was making him cold.

"Other chicks could entertain you, just saying." Angel shrugged –"What about Kitty? She has a thing for you, you know? It's serious."

"What do you mean?" inquired Loki as they were stepping back towards the mansion, and he got a little worried to think the dumb dweeb had told a soul about how he threatened to destroy her with desire. Her desire, of course; to him, it was just potential intercourse.

"I mean, the kid cried on my shoulder with real fucking tears. Didn't know how to handle it, really. I patted her on the back like a dork- was when I called you, but you didn't pick up. Do you even know how to use your phone?"

"I slide right to answer." Said Loki, still nervous –"So what did Kitty say?"

"I dunno. A bunch of gibberish. That you've been ignoring her, that boys always ignore her, that she was invisible. She also said that she had a chance with you and she blew it? Probably her imagination. Jeez."

"And you want me to fuck that pathetic stack of soreness?" offered Loki casually.

"No. hmpf. No, you're right, Lockster. Probably a bad idea."

"Next time she cries on your shoulder, tell her I am a murderer."

"A murderer?" Angel stopped walking and turned to Loki, his handsome face wrinkled with worry –"But you aren't."

"Nope, but I could be. And in any case, it would be best for the infant to stay away from me. You make sure she gets that."

"I will. Hey, you wanna go out for a beer?"

"A beer?" snarled Loki –"Have you seen what's installed on me?" he shook his leg angrily –" I can't even take a leak without the entire galaxy being informed that I emptied my blubber at 12:56 on the clock."

"Oh, that. Well, lemme take a look." And with that said, Angel sank to his knees and pulled up Loki's sweatpants just over his ankle. His hands were nimble and his touch not unpleasant on Loki's skin as he handled the device. Moreover, the vision of his head at Loki's crotch was an appetizing sight, so Loki hummed approvingly just thinking about the options the gesture was carrying. But it was all over in seconds, once Angel tapped in a couple of brisk adjustments into the tracker.

"There." He said, rising to his feet again –"I think I tricked it. We can go."

"You know how to do that?" wondered Loki.

"Yeah. I think so." Angel laughed –"Used to have one of my own. Don't look at me like that, Lockster, I am wild! Care to help me strap my wings to my back?"

"Certainly." Said Loki, gulping at the possibility he made a friend, for real, for the first time in his life.

*


	18. Knock Knock, Let the Devil In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First part of the Halloween party, in which Loki and Rogue talk about what they want from each other and start acting on it, despite being tipsy, or perhaps thanks to being it. This is one of my favs:)

_Like a cat dragged in from the rain_  
_Who goes straight back out and do it all over again_  
_I'll be back for more_  
_Something that is out of our hands_  
_Something we will never understand_

_It's a hidden law_  
_The apple falls_  
_Destiny calls_  
_I follow yo_ u

**_[Depeche Mode]_ **

It was irksome to admit but the fact remained that a few days with his tracker on, and as Jean predicted - it ceased to bother him; so for the most time he would forget he was carrying it. Angel used to meddle with it whenever they needed to camouflage sneaking out of the mansion, but their trips were short and concise and other than that Loki was a good boy and followed his schedule compliantly.  He knew he must wait awhile before his next attempt to get everyone in a tizzy, since his most recent lark was still too fresh in collective memory. Moreover, he hasn't seen Rogue since and Angel said he had suspected that she went to visit Remy- a bleak thought- but only a speculative one. The rest of the gang were all gathered for lunch when Kitty cleared her throat politely and announced :"I've good news, people." and beamed at everyone, except at Loki, because no beam was ever going to penetrate his heart of darkness. Due to the cooling weather the electric heating system was controlling the temperature indoors, and they began heating the water in the swimming pool as well; while outside it was windy and some of the trees on the grounds were shedding their leaves until they were almost naked. They served _soup_  at most meals, but the title was an exaggeration, because the chunky fluid resembled goo at best and poo when it was inedible. Loki had no idea who was in charge of the cooking or the menu; but he did develop a will to break both their hands and feed them the sludge through a fennel while blocking their nose. There was one thing that didn't change, however, and that was Kitty's loquacity. Her voice was always a couple of decibels higher than required and her babbling provided the main soundtrack whenever she was around. If she was as weepy as Angel mentioned, she must have done it in private.  

"We're all holding our breath" he muttered towards her, without looking up from his food, knowing for certain that it was his attention that she craved most of all.

"Don't be mean, Bro." said Angel and nudged him –"So what is it, Kitty?"

"Well, as you all know, the Professor is out on a mission, and he will be gone for a few weeks."

"We all know that?" whispered Loki to Angel.

"I guess now we do." Replied the Angel warmly –"You know. This really _is_ good news."

"But," continued Kitty –"it doesn't mean that he would like us to skip the holidays in his absence."

"What holidays?"

"Quiet down, dude, she's getting to it." Angel placed his big palm upon Loki's back and pushed him lightly, then brushed up through his hair in an act of friendliness. When Loki turned to face him, he met the affable, welcoming expression Warren always had on when they were interacting. He was indeed a sweet person. Not a grumpy cell in his entire chiseled body.

"So…" Kitty was saying with a hint of hesitation, as she'd lost almost everyone's attention –"the Professor said that we're allowed to go out on Thursday, you know, for Halloween? We could all dress up! And it's a good opportunity for us to all hang out _together_. Like… a family thing. It'll be fun!" Everyone went awfully quiet in response, and for a while there was only the sound of cutlery and swallowing.

"Go on, Kitty." Encouraged Storm.  

"Well, I just thought-" Kitty was looking around her with doubt –"I guess I thought you'd be more excited. I mean-"

"Halloween." Said Loki and put down his spoon –"Isn't that the time of year when you Midgardians pretend to know something about demons and ghouls and spirits?"

"Bro…" said Angel and spread his wings, pointing at his own chest.

"All of the people around this table had fought more than a few demons, Loki." Said Storm and her yellowy eyes were carrying careful reproach.

"Right. Forgive me," Loki was quick to reply –"you definitely seem to know how to make potions." He was looking directly at his bowl of soup –"The colour is exactly right. What do you call it? Muddy puddle?" he picked up a spoonful and slowly let it trickle back into the bowl –"truly iridescent." He put the spoon to his mouth and spoke with it still hanging from his lips –"50 shades of -."

"LOKI!" cried Storm, pale as the tablecloth.

"What is it?" he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then raised his chin in mock attention.

"Storm, he didn't know-" started Kitty, but then Jean interfered, righteous as ever –"It was Kitty on kitchen duty this morning."

"I do not see what this has to do with lunch."

"It's really alright-" started Kitty, looking lost.

Jean's face was stern with criticism as she spoke to Loki, but made it sound like there was some higher power listening- "I see that our guest has not yet learned how to behave himself. I do not trust him with cooking for us, but gardening suits him just fine." She concluded and tore a piece of bread in half. 

"He is still allowed to come to the party, tho, right?"

*

Loki arrived late at the idiotic Halloween party because Angel said it would be boring and they needn't hurry, and in spite of that took eons getting dressed and pampered and dapper for it. As Loki wasn't allowed to wander outside the mansion on his own, he was bound to wait for his dandy chaperone at the lobby like a puny lapdog, which made him grow agitated. When Angel finally came downstairs in his bat costume to hide his very real wings with artificial ones- which was absurd- Loki but snapped at him –"I do not appreciate being kept waiting."

"Sorry, bro." answered Angel lightly, a spring in his step, and tossed the car keys over to Loki who caught them with his left hand in astonishment.

"What?" shrugged Angel laughing –"I don't want you to be mad at me all night, so you get to drive. See this as a token of apology."

"Aha."

"You know how to drive, you've seen me do it. C'mon."

Loki played with the cold metal keys in his hand, and his anger was replaced by a quiet thrill. Had Angel trusted him so much that he would so casually give him such power? Apparently, the answer was yes. Yes, he did. Loki was beside himself with delight for the illusion of freedom driving bestowed upon him, and it was for that reason that whenever they approached the place he turned them around on purpose and drove them away, oblivious to the instructions Angel's phone was dictating them in a mechanical voice. It was nearing 23:00 when Loki eventually had enough and parked the car where Angel told him to. They both stepped out of the vehicle onto a gravel path that was leading to a shabby looking warehouse. After the excitement of the drive, this was a letdown.

"Is that your Midgard idea of fun? Because the place looks like it would disintegrate any minute now." Said Loki, fighting the wind that was making his vampire robes flap against his shins and tangle around his ankles.

"It's supposed to look creepy, that's the point." Answered Angel.

"So people come here to-" started Loki, when a boy in a red spandex suit pulled off his mask in a hurry and vomited all over a carved pumpkin, at the side of the trail.

"Barf." finished Loki –"Is this one of ours?"

"An X-Men? No, just someone from around here, I guess. You need help there, bro?" Angel called out to the boy who just shook his head and puked again. Angel shrugged and kept on  walking –"They're all humans out here. I mean, just regular humans. We go out together on the only night of the year when we're not viewed as freaks. It's just a party, Lockster, so don't expect anything extraordinary."

"But is it wise for the X-Men to take excursions together, to be seen as a group at a party and associate with normal humans? I mean-" Loki's robe flew right into his face and blocked his mouth.

"Look, your majesty," said Angel and whisked the robe away from Loki's face with a friendly hand –"I've already told you- we don't get many chances to celebrate, and Halloween is the perfect opportunity. Everyone inside is drunk and in costumes. No one will pay us any mind, it will be okay. Have a drink and be a good sport, hmm?" he patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"A drink." Huffed Loki, getting uncomfortable, because Angel's eyes were already fixing on a group of giggling girls in heels, and it really felt like he was going to ditch him. –"Won't I need the local currency for that?"

"What?" Angel was confused for a second before pulling it together –"Ah, right, sure, babe. I make the money and my husband spends it on booze." He reached inside his inner pocket for his wallet, and handed Loki a couple of bills.

"We're not married." Emphasized Loki.

 "I also didn't make that money, it's family fortune. Now, listen-" Warren smiled earnestly at Loki and his face wore a playful expression –"Once we get in there, I am going to do my best to get myself laid. So if I get lucky, I will send one of the others to babysit you. That okay?"

Loki scowled –"Not Jean." He spat.

"Not Jean, it's a deal. Oh, almost forgot-" Angel flowed to his knees in one graceful motion, pulled Loki's dress trousers up and covertly clicked the tracker a couple of times before rising up to his feet once more, smiling favorably.

"What did you do to it??" whispered Loki.

"Haha. Just messed with the schedule. It will keep thinking that you're following it, even if you aren't. It will send 'okay' signals for the rest of the night. Should recalibrate at 06:00 AM, tho, so be careful. Sorry I couldn't give you more time, Cinderella."

"Cinderella??"

"May it be a fine and productive harvest for us both" Angel offered his hand for Loki to shake and Loki accepted. As they crossed the threshold of the warehouse Angel spoke to him for the last time that evening: "Don't wanna come across as rude, your majesty, but I recommend that you get yourself fucked as well tonight. Your constant bitching is starting to get on my nerves."  

And with that Loki was left to himself, standing in the doorway like a statue, before someone nudged him to shut the door because of the cold. The place was stuffed, dimly lit by candles and decorated with swinging skeletons and glowing skulls. It smelled cheap- like sour perfume, cattle urine and stale beer, or perhaps they were all the same. Not to mention the _music,_ which basically sounded like rampaging elephants ploughing through a field of cats in heat and screeching babies – an absolute, deafening cacophony. Everyone in the room was supposedly in costumes, but the females for some reason were all dressed up as whores. Loki just assumed it was the holiday tradition. He himself was dressed as Count Dracula; because that is what Angel thought would be best. This way, he figured, no one would be alarmed by his pale complexion, and he wouldn't have to wear any makeup or ungainly accessories, though he did feel a pang or frustration when he thought of how easy it could have been to disguise himself had he his magic. Not disguise- perhaps _reveal_ , because stepping into this party in his Jotun skin could have been something- but no. He was human now for… nobody could tell for how long. He was in black robes, massive and long enough to cover a plain pair of black dress trousers, black leather belt and a silken black shirt he tucked into them. He took his time letting his eyes get used to the darkness and spotting the people he knew: Jean and Cyclops were in a matching Egyptian Queen and Pharaoh costumes. They were sitting at a table shaped like a hatching dinosaur egg, looking bored, staring blankly forward, not even speaking to each other. _What monogamy could do to some people._ Kitty was on the dancefloor, throwing her body wildly this way and that to the hellish music. She was dressed as a butterfly, appearing joyous and careless. Bobby was dressed as a football player, shoulders padded, and next to him Angel, in his monstrous bat outfit. They were chatting up two blonde girls that were more or less naked. It really seemed like Angel would accomplish what he came here for in record time. 

And then he saw Rogue- and that was a surprise- both because the smoke and darkness had obscured his vision, but also because he never expected to see her tonight. He only recognized her for the white strands in her hair and the gloves- for everything else was a novelty. No rags this time - she was strangled, mummified in this corset of a green medieval styled dress, her breasts almost exploding under it. The lower part of the dress was a puffed sea of cloth, really. How could she move in that dress? She probably couldn't. The thought of her immobilized by the dress and squirming beneath him was more than enough to make his trousers tight around the crotch. If Loki didn't know different, he could have been convinced this was one of the dresses he custom-made for tormenting Jane. She was sitting on a tattered sofa, by herself, gulping from a bottle of white wine she could barely hold at this point, her makeup all smeared and her forehead sweaty.

Ah, he simply relished watching her lost and defeated. So out of place. Was she too, like himself, dragged into this disaster? Was she back from a failing encounter with her X-lover? Seeking comfort and getting slapped in the face? It was almost too easy. Angel had practically _commanded_ him to get laid. Well. The mutant was just ripe for the taking and all he had to do was make himself present. Loki adjusted his black suit, readying himself, and he was moving in for the kill… unless he was initially halted by a reprimanding female yet again. His life was just crawling with them. "Loki, I see that you've made it here okay." It was Storm, dressed as a Gypsy, and she put her hand on his arm–"Where are you heading?" both touch and question were warnings meant to put him in his place. And what was his place, exactly, among these mutants? A prisoner in his own skin, to be assessed and monitored and reviewed and discussed over secret meetings taking place behind his back.

"Just getting a drink." said Loki, softly –"Or am I not allowed to, because of my punishments?" he tried to sound as innocent as possible, but then Storm was never gullible enough to buy that.

"The bar is to your left, Loki. The drink you will find on the sofa in front of you, however, will make you choke- one way or the other."

"Since we are talking truths," answered Loki –"I think you should know that I can handle my liquor."

"I will see that you handle it well." Said Storm, and her eyes were bright yellow. Was this a threat? Probably. But then she was wary of him. They all were. He expected to be monitored closely at this occasion, and not only by his faulty tracker. _Fine_.

"Thank you for this special attention." Said Loki charmingly, and pressed her wrist to his cold lips. He left Storm and approached Rogue. She was so drunk by now, that she couldn't have been more oblivious. Loki took a seat next to her and was able to be an invisible spectator for some stretching moments. He watched her taking another sip from the bottle in her hand, so much over the edge that her eyes were tearful and the drink was dripping down her opulent lips.

"Hello, Rogue."

He sure startled her, for she lurched momentarily and glanced at him before switching her gaze back to the dancefloor "Bastard." Said she, and took another sip, but missed catching most of it. The liquid spilt on her chin, down her neck in a trickle and onto her almost wholly exposed chest. Loki's eyes dropped to follow its progress to the upper seam of the corset, growing darker as it was absorbing the leak, and his eyes grew darker in retort. The only shine came from the locket that rested on her broken heart.

"You know, I really am." He leaned forward, with one palm on his right knee, supporting his arm –"a bastard."

"What else is new?" she turned to him and gave him a fake smile.

"Not much, it seems, as you are still mourning over your precious Remy, drowning yourself in alcohol. Literally. Tsk tsk…" he eyed her white cleavage intently. She wiped it off with her glove, cursing.

"You missed a drop." He noted.

Rogue wiped her chest with growing annoyance.

"No… right here." Said Loki, and he was nice this time round when he leaned in, took the tip of his robe with which he brushed her lower lip in the tiniest of swipes. "All well." He smiled –"Except for what has to do with Re-"

"If you're trying to upset me, then you're wasting your time" She put the bottle to her lips once more, and hesitated before tilting it backwards and letting another portion of wine into her mouth, and while at it she let it spill again, gleaming over her perspiring body parts, making Loki sense this was deliberate.

"No, it seems like Remy got that part covered." He teased.  

"Why do you keep bringing him up, as I am obviously trying to forget he ever existed?" asked Rogue. This was honest, and Loki was taken aback for just a fraction of a second.

"Well, I-"

"And anyways, why are you chatting me up? Don't you remember what happened last time? _And_ the time before? You liked the clinic so much that you would want the tour again?" now this was bitter, and it was aimed only at herself. Drunk as she was, she did make sense.

"Well." Started Loki once more, and it was odd to be almost shouting due to the noise, when he intended to sound restrained –"It was my doing. I came to your room, and I forgive you for it."

"You forgive _me_?"

"Yes, I am all in one piece. You see? Nothing… trimmed." that came out wrong. Loki coughed a little and corrected himself –"She was just trying to scare me. I can handle mean Jean."

"Then why do you come after me?" again, honesty. Her gaze a flickering question mark and her body a moist miracle. Strong and weak at the same time. There was a moment of silence, trampled by the violent music and its brutal beats.

"Because-" said Loki slowly –"Well, because you… are…"

"What am I?"

"Well, wild."

"No, that's not why." Rogue adjusted her position and turned to look him straight in the eye –"Let me see…" she said mockingly –"The prince from Asgard is in need of some company, or maybe someone to torment. Who would he approach?"

This sounded familiar, and it took Loki a few seconds to realise she was having her own take on the abusive speech he'd given her before. He leered at her as he could see what she was striving for –"Who indeed?"

"Not Kitty." Said Rogue –"She is too childish, too boring, and honestly not pretty enough, plus she's already hopelessly infatuated with him. He hates that."

"I see you've taken the time to research the matter."

"I didn't have to, I got eyes, Sugah. And ears."

"What do you mean?"

"Not Storm," continued Rogue, smiling secretively –"because she has thunder at her will, he's had enough of that."

"Alright, I'm impressed." He said, and leaned back, elbow supporting his right cheek on the back seat of the sofa and studying her face, but she broke eye contact with him –"Go on." He coaxed.

"Not Angel." She surprised him once more, and this time he raised his eyebrows and hummed.

"What? You don't play with boys?" she offered with disbelief.

"I do. I do." He admitted –"So why not Angel?"

"Well." Rogue said thoughtfully and looked at Angel dancing with one of the blondes in a tight embrace –"Because he's busy? Nahh… that wouldn't stop you, Loki. Then maybe because _he_ doesn't like boys? No." she decided –"That would turn you on even more…"  

"Come on, I am sure you can figure it out." He answered, but then a hard bump hit him from behind.

"Scooch over, will ya?" it was Bobby, and he pushed Loki towards the other end of the sofa, so that he was very close to Rogue now, his shoulder brushing her naked one. He was about to say something mean to Bobby when all of a sudden it stroke him that the kid had done him a favour, for Rogue was gazing up at him with such lust due to the closeness, that he just couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Angel didn't offer himself to me as you did, but had he done so, I would-"

Rogue flushed like a shrimp, and then like a salmon, and a second later her cheeks were the colour of raspberry, her naked shoulder against his arm was so hot he honestly felt that it might grill his flesh before she pointed the tip of her bottle at him as if it were the barrel of a gun –"I DID NOT-"

"Try to seduce me?" he said placidly, matter-of-fact, then pressed on –"Didn't you say so yourself? And many do, so don't be coy. Try it again, Marie. We'll see what happens-"

But then it had all taken the wrong turn, for her eyes were glazing and tearing up. A sensitive spot there? It did make sense… how many times had she tried to kiss people and turned an intimate moment into an avalanche? He had been uncareful and his words were hasty. And _no_ , alcohol did nothing good for them Midgardians. He was merely trying to provoke and to tease - but his cruel joke has just retaliated. He had to fix this, as a hint of guilt started pushing through his nonchalance. He had to take it down a notch. He had to take it down a whole lot. These people weren't so tough, and this girl was a disaster area, if anything, and if he wanted her, he had to use his brains. Not his cock. Definitely not his cock. It was way too cocky.

"I apologize, Marie." He said sincerely –"I was but jesting… and it was at my expense, please. No tears." He raised the tip of his cloak, this time to collect the wetness forming under her eyes, and something inside him was fighting him against his will –"I didn't mean it -"that was a half-truth, because he sort of did. Because it was his hobby to elicit tears, because for all his ambivalent remorse, his soul was aroused for the fact that he had hurt her, and it was vile and flagrant, and it was glorious. 

"Do you wanna fuck?" said Rogue, under his touch, her eyes soaked in a well of intoxication and he was so thrown over by this that he froze, swallowing slowly before replying.

"Marie, you better think about what you are saying, if you don't want me to take you seriously. Or perhaps if you do."

"Boys only talk to me like that when they hate me, or they wanna fuck me." She said, and now her eyes were accusing.

"Yes." He said carefully, that was his intention, after all- fucking. But then something was amiss, because she didn't want him. She just wanted to wipe out that Remy phantom, numb the phantom pains he was giving her, use Loki to lock it down there, if only for a while, in the basement of _the bottom of things_. And he was not having that. Because he was one to be remembered, and not to help forget. He licked his lips, holding his demon horses back, his demon horses that wished to conquer and pillage and ravage - that would ruin her.

"But not right now, given the state of you." He said after a long pause, and his lips felt unnaturally dry, and the music was pounding into his temples, but then he kept on stroking at her cheek with the tip of his cloak, as if he could sense any of it through the fabric, no, he could not- it was just an idea. A suggestion blown offhandedly into the air without materializing- like the two of them fucking.

"The state of me?" puffed Rogue, her ego clearly wounded –"What state am I in?"

"Quite a state." Returned Loki and she narrowed her eyes at him and slapped his hand away.

"You arrogant prick."

"That," he replied –"I am too." But with a pendulum sway he moved in again, mouth hovering at she shell of her ear –"Let's pretend I am using the state of you to my benefit."

" _What_?!"

"Drink up and listen to me, because you've just earned yourself an audience."

"What do you mean by audience?" She was constantly in search of an audience, that was a truth, Loki knew.

"People getting interested in what we do."

"And what are we doing, Loki?"

"Foreplaying."  

Rogue hummed drunkenly. She seemed to like his voice in her ear, for all her resistance left her body and she was listless and tired against the sofa. She picked up the bottle and drank, and Loki smiled and kept whispering –"Scott, Storm and Jean are all on tiptoes, and they are watching us." he let his left hand slide over her thigh, drawing out a little shiver. He noted she was much looser like that. Perhaps, despite the side-effects, he should fill up her belly with wine every time he wished to quiet her mind.

Rogue licked her lips and grinned too, behind the bottle before putting in down –"Then we must give them something to write home about."

*


	19. Mostly Harmless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second (and last) part of the Halloween party, in which Loki gets what he wants. under the circumstances. sorta. and it's mostly harmless (for the time being...) - But the couple is finally happy! [and now this is my fav. chapter :) ]

_I want you soft in the middle._   
_I see a strange and furious face._   
_I know your heart._   
_I want your pearly hand in my hair._   
_We make a strange and furious pair._   
_I want you locked in the middle._   
_I know your heart._

_**[Belly]** _

The promise of fans watching the two of them furnished Rogue with enthusiasm unhindered and unhinged. She placed her right hand on Loki's shoulder, feeling his muscles over his jacket, before her fingers- those same ones that almost killed him - were now sinking in his hair lavishly, caressing the back of his neck and the line of his jaw and under his ear. He was surprised at how soft her glove felt and how responsive he was to that touch, in more ways than he expected. His human body knew what it was longing for, and it was straining for more; whilst his living memory of an active sex-life backed it with evidence. He had not only craved it- he needed it. He _deserved_ it.  As he closed his eyes Rogue's caresses became more and more passionate and unkempt, moving down his throat and chest. Through shut eyelids he mentally followed every fingertip and every patch where it touched, unwilling to get swept away. Her other hand was gliding up his knee and up his leg before he crushed it down like he would a mosquito. He was not the one to be toyed with.

"You vixen." He poured, a sinister note crawling into his steady voice –"I might change my mind about taking you tonight after all."  

*

"Look at these two." Said Jean to Storm, with a sour face –"Why are we letting this happen? They are full-on at it! I thought it was a done deal after we interfered, and that he would never come near her again."

"You didn't really think that, Jean. You can read minds." Said Storm coolly, but she was staring at the couple and dread was filling her and turning her insides.

"She's drunk! She will zap him again- you mark my words; and when she does, I am not to be held responsible." Said Jean with a tight jaw.

"No one said you were."

"And if he doesn't die at her touch, she will die at his, and if she survives, he will turn her against us." Said Jean, growing more hysterical.

"I reckon we did our best to prevent the inevitable."  

"Well I reckon it is our _duty_ to try harder, especially now that Xavier isn't around. Loki cannot just do whatever he wants to! He is… charming her with his charms! Can't you see it, Aurora?"

"He doesn't have any charms." Said Storm simply –"Remember?"

"Then what is it? What do you call this!? –"

"I call this the unbuttoning of his shirt." Answered Storm.

"WHAT?!" Jean immediately put on her glasses to be able to detect more details- but when she saw what was happening clearly her mouth gaped –"This is outrageous, and unbelievable!"

"Oh, come on, Jean." Storm was losing her patience –"he is MALE. Rogue loves having fun with them, and so do you, by the way. But maybe it's just another fact that you don't remember."

Jean flushed –"I do not HAVE FUN!"

"Really?" said Storm and got up from the table –"Then perhaps you should." She slid her half-consumed cocktail towards the redhead.  

Cyclops who just came back from the bathroom to rejoin the two ladies, could see that Jean was upset. Well, he didn't have to be her partner, anyone could have seen that.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Replied Jean, seeming miserable in her Egyptian outfit and spectacles. She did pick up the cocktail, though, and took a measured sip through the glow-in-the-dark straw.  

"You tired?"

"No."

"You wanna leave?"

"No, Scott, no." Jean pushed his hand away –"I just want this stupid party to be over, so I don't have to do anymore babysitting."

"Who are we babysitting?"

"Nevermind it."

*

"-heaved them by the collar, 'nd then I flew above this lake, and I threw the both of them inside saying 'nice weather for taking a swim, boys!' – then something hard hit my head right in the forehead. I didn’t even know I could fly until that moment-" said Rogue, struggling with her gloves and his buttons that kept dodging her grip.

"You need help with those?" breathed Loki, very turned on.

"Nope, I like earning my reward on my own."

"So I'm a reward now?" chuckled Loki.

"No, my reward would be them being mad at me for undressing you in public." Said Rogue, so focused on her task that her tongue was sticking out.

"Well, I'm not mad at you for undressing me" said Loki –"but you are doing such a poor job, Marie."

She raised her eyes, drunk and determined –"You want me to stop?"

"By all means, no." said Loki and grabbed her hand to kiss her palm right in the middle which drew out another shiver –"I like it. Even though you probably won't finish the task till you sobered up. I can only hope to still be around when you do."

Rogue frowned, then took a moment to observe his unrelenting shirt thoroughly –"I could just rip it." She thought out-loud.

"You could." Nodded Loki.

"But that would be cheating." She dove back to his chest, her fingers exerting with the impossibly tiny beads and pulling and turning to no avail.

"You are too wasted." Said Loki –"so perhaps while it is taking you an eternity to get me out of my shirt, you could continue the story."

"Which one?"

"The one about you flying."

"Oh-" a button flicked under her finger, and then she took a moment to breathe, resting her forehead against his chest, to which he answered with a reassuring finger trailing over her thigh, before he knew that she had fallen asleep.

"Loki."

He averted his gaze from the passed-out mutant to the voice coming from above. It was Cyclops. His golden Pharaoh skirt made him look even more ridiculous than his usual shades.

"Problem?"

"No problem." Replied Scott, but he did do his best not to look at Rogue as he was saying –"We will meet outside in 10 minutes and head back to the mansion in separate cars. Angel had some other business to tend to, so you can ride with Jean and me. Storm will take care of Rogue."

"Wonderful." Said Loki in a cheerful tone and swore to murder Angel upon their next encounter.

"What happened to her, by the way?" asked Scott as he was helping Bobby to get up from the sofa. The heavy football gear made it impossible for him to complete the act without aid.

"I enchanted her so that she would sleep for a hundred years until a prince came along to kiss her better." Loki said with derision so vicious that Scott only reddened and shuffled off.

*

When Rogue came around her cheek was squashed against something stiff: a thigh. She grabbed the nearest anchor which was a knee and tried to lift her head, she was in a moving car and it was dark and cool and quiet. The windows were covered in vapours and she neither knew where and when she had fallen asleep, nor how long it has been since, which was frightening. –"Where are we?" she asked drowsily.

"On our way home from the Halloween party." Said Storm from far, faraway above, her voice severe.

"Fuck. What… what happened?" Rogue sat up feeling dizzy, ransacking her memory almost with panic for remnants of the last moments before-

"You passed out over Loki after drinking god knows what and doing god knows what else."  Said Storm indifferently. Or at least trying to sound as though she was, but she was clearly angry. 

"Fuck." _Loki._ Remembered Rogue, and with growing terror she recalled how clueless and loose she was around him, and how she attempted to remove his shirt in a room full of strangers and enemies, and then she was crying- embarrassing in itself- , and then… oh gosh, it was even worse reviewing it now. She had offered him… goodness. Like a _slut_. She actually shifted on her bum to check whether her underwear was still in place. It was, but cold and damp against her skin, and she felt so filthy, like she had crawled through the pipes of sewage, and for all she knew she could have done something like that easily- oh, what a fail. What an absolute, catastrophic **_fail_**. She covered her face with both her gloved palms, and inhaled with a shuddering breath "Fuck. Oh, fuck. Shit."

"It's fine, Rogue. I was sitting right next to you guys," offered Bobby who was driving the car, glancing at Rogue in the rearview mirror –"You were loud, but you were chatting and laughing and touching not too much, it really wasn't so bad." Rogue let her hands slip down her face slowly, flattening her nose and lips on the way down, smearing whatever makeup she had left on –"Are you… sure? Bobby?"

"It's only not so bad if you are 16." Said Storm and Bobby went silent.

"Fuck." Said Rogue again. What were the others thinking about her? Well, she couldn't care less, but Storm being mad at her, feeling obviously ashamed of her- that was harsh. Plus the fact that she wasn't in her right mind when it was happening, and the fact that she had to be carried away unconscious, like a total wreck- being a burden, a disgrace- Xavier is definitely going to hear about this. And at the end of that list of blots - Loki… fucking Loki. What is she playing at?  Fooling around with the alien prisoner? Successively? Really? What was she hoping to achieve except for more humiliation and more contempt and more heartbreak.

She closed her eyes and leaned back, the cold silence from Storm by her side doing a great job at making her feel like she was the target of a thousand stinging arrows, and those were enough to drain her from all her vivacity, leaving only barren planes and throbbing guilt.

*

"Now." Said Storm to Rogue when they arrived at the lobby –"You, _Missy,"_ there was no fondness in the nickname, it was aimed to hurt –"are going to go in your room, wash up and sleep. I will see you tomorrow at 10:00 for practice. You will practice with me, and then we can talk about what happened tonight. And you are _not_ to torment yourself over this now, because you will be needing your strength at its best tomo-" Storm voice was cut-off by the noise of the opening door and then, unfortunately for Storm; Jean, Scott and Loki pooled in, shaking their boots on the doormat from mud and dirt. Loki was holding his cape folded in his arms and he gave Rogue a meaningful look. Storm almost jumped out of her skin as he went past them quietly, with his princely prance.

"Now what was that all about?" she attacked Rogue.

"What was what?"

"That _look_."

"I don't know, Aurora, I don't even remember what happened-"

"Fine!" she huffed at Rogue –"You know what? I don't care what you do. You do whatever you like."

"But I didn't!" cried Rogue-

"Now do not mistake me for a fool, because I am not."

"Storm. C'mon-" started Rogue.

"No, I am done with playing your big sister, your mother, whatever job you had set me to play – I am done with it. From here on out, you are on your own."

And Storm left. Rogue was trembling in her silly corset for just one more second before she rushed upstairs to the second floor, kicked her door open, slammed it behind her and stood to look about her room that was dark, apart from the moonlight breaking in through the window and colouring everything silver and pale blue. This was just mortifying, and it was all Loki's fault. Except for the part that was her own fault, of course. And Remy's.

"You forgot to wish me a good-night." A silky voice drifted from the corner, where the man who produced it was apparently standing. Rogue blinked when she recognized Loki's slender figure and thought to herself he was more handsome than creepy. Or perhaps mostly handsome and only a tad creepy.

"Nothing good about it." Said she, but could not control a shiver that started at the base of her neck and spilled down her spine in a waterfall of eerie expectation.

"Ah, I am deeply offended, woman. Did you not enjoy your time with me?" he stepped closer and grabbed her by her waist –"Let us continue where we left off."

"Wait, no, Loki, hold on-" Rogue placed her gloved hands on his forearms.

Even through the darkness, she could see him rolling his eyes as he replied –"That song you are singing we already know by heart. Why don't we try a different tune this time, eh? Less boring." And so he pushed her unceremoniously on the cluttered bed and fell heavily on top of her with a low grunt.

Rogue began panting and her hands squeezed at his arms, partly because she was trying to gain control over the situation, and partly because this has been the most excited she felt in months.

"This tune is called 'Loki takes charge because when Marie was in charge she didn't know what to do with all that responsibility.'"

And without further ado he turned his hands in her hold to reverse the roles and capture both her wrists and pull her hands above her head, pinning them down there. He was gloved again. A moan of pleasure and surprise slipped from her lips as she looked up at him, his concentrated face and the tips of his hair on her cheeks made her half-giggle at him.

"You like that tune? Yeah, so do I. See," he said and shifted to secure both her wrists in his right hand, as he brought down his left one to unzip his own trousers, fondling casually between her legs as he did.

"NO, Loki! It's a bad idea- please-" and she was so much flooded with contradicting emotions that she couldn't tell whether she wanted him inside her or to have him hold her close and weep into his chest about her unfortunate quandary, or perhaps kicking him out the door and downstairs was simply the best solution-

"Settle down, Mutant." Loki stopped what he was doing with a sigh of languor –"I'll keep the clothes on. None of us was blessed with the bliss of stupidity."

Rogue found his eyes again, and they were intense, but serious. Not at all deranged like she might have suspected. He might be the Prince of Chaos, but there was a measure of rationale in his acts. Even the passionate ones.

"Alright?" he asked, his erection throbbing against her inner thigh through layers of fabric.

Rogue nodded, because her throat was too dry for words, and then he moved in, giving the first thrust into her, supposedly into her; and although the force of it almost drowned in an ocean of garments, she gasped and her hands twitched under his steady brace.

"Anyways, as I was saying-" continued Loki while giving a second push, and a third –"some girls were born to serve as pets, which I highly admire and enjoy. Some…" he pushed again, and his hardness was big and long and fabulous, Rogue wanted to wrap her legs around him, but he slapped them away –"don't like being controlled at all." He said and stopped for one more moment, and Rogue felt she was about to explode. She gave a little whine. She never whined, ever, with anyone during sex. What is she saying? She only ever had real sex with Remy. But now… she just wanted it so much. She was so freaking wet, and all that was needed was one more push, perhaps two- to make her climax- but Loki did zip his trousers back up and rolled over, he even let go of her hands. Rogue was puzzled.

"What happened?" she asked hazily.

"Nothing." Said Loki, turned around her and curled sideways to spoon her. It was a warm and comforting feeling, and yet her inner instincts cried for release and she was confused and aroused, and still feeling his erection- this time, against her bum.

"but-"

"Yeah, I know." Said Loki drowsily –"we didn't finish. I have this rule, where you have to be naked for that part." He breathed against her shoulder blades, slower and slower, she could feel it, through her gigantic dress.

"What?" she was alert all of a sudden "Would I have to be your 'pet' for that?"

"My pet?" Loki's words lingered –"No. I wouldn't dream of it. You'd make a terrible pet, Marie."

"Why??" she cried and struggled against his embrace until she turned and they were face to face –"Why would I make a terrible pet?"

"Well." Started Loki –"being a pet is initially about trusting your partner. You fail in that area, you started protesting right away."

Rogue blushed and traced the buttons of his shirt with her gloved fingers, but Loki had caught both her hands, then kissed both of her wrists from inside- which made her shiver again- and put her hands away. –"You can't." he said simply.

"You've had many pets?"

"Yes, but that is none of your concern."

"But I want to know." Said Rogue –"It's all about blowing you, and crawling on the floor, right?- which I won't do- and- "

Loki laughed and his hands on her waist shuddered as he did. "No." he said –"I couldn't care less about how they wish to express their gratitude."

"Their _gratitude_!" Rogue huffed and slapped his face halfheartedly, it was so meek that he laughed all the more –"I told you, you were not the kind."  He held her tightly against him, his ardent erection still present, but his eyelids were half closing over his green eyes.

"What on earth were they grateful for?" she asked, although something inside her had a vague clue of the concept; and she was revolted and transfixed at the same time.

"Firstly, it did not happen on earth." He punctuated, tracing the outline of her left breast over the dress with his forefinger –"and secondly, they had many things to be grateful for, Marie. Can you not figure it out?" the last part of the sentence was only a whisper.

Rogue gulped –"But will you tell me?"

"Not tonight."

"You said stories were for bedtime."

"If and when I get to bed the girl." He returned –"I promise many stories then; although perhaps you will have found that you got lost in the act and there will be no need of stories to keep you engaged."

"That good, are you?"

"Indeed."  

"But you like them submissive." Said she.

"And you like them muscular and hairy. What of it." Replied Loki, and shifted downwards so that his nose burrowed between her breasts –"I'm opening myself to new genres these days." Rogue started giggling to that almost uncontrollably, and put her hand on his head out of instinct.

"How do you know how I like them?"

"I got ears".

"You keep on these nightly visits, and I will never get any sleep." She regarded with a dissatisfied note in her voice, as Loki exhaled warmly against her chest, and was humping her leg alternately and lazily, as if not entirely conscious of his acts.

"Good." He muttered.

"Good? How is this good, exactly."

"Because if you fall asleep there will be no one to protect you from me." He said simply, and Rogue felt the zest simmering under her skin; and she was intrigued by that thought, of letting go and being at his mercy, and the idea of his pets made her moist despite herself.

"And who will protect you if you doze off?" she wondered.

"God of Thunder" came the reply, and later that morning when Rogue awoke she could not recall the exact moment when she had sailed into slumber, but she was alone in bed. Untied and unviolated, but her mind was sprouting with the impressions of him, and she turned to hug the pillow, smelling Loki still.

*


	20. Tyrant of Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Angel gets a bit of fluff (he deserves it :)), and Loki and Rogue are at it again, but it isn't smooth. They're gonna work it out eventually. promise. <3

_You can burn your paper fingers in the ashtray_  
_Place your swollen lips on mine_  
_You can shave your heavy head in my carpeted hallway_  
_Sure for the first time you're wearing the right clothes_

_Now take them off_

_**[Metric]** _

 

The girl with toaster costume was pretending to be asleep, except, of course, she didn't have the toaster costume on anymore. She had nothing on but her skin, and her naked and tanned body was curled like a baby deer. He was honestly going to go for one of the blondes, but then he couldn't decide which one, plus they were a friend of a friend. Well, not really a friend, just a girl he used to shag- this was a small neighborhood- and it wasn't the most convenient. Anyways, he was going to get everyone a drink when he noticed there was a toaster being bullied by two drunken dudes dressed as vodka bottles who pressed the toaster between them and kept on bumping into it from both sides going "Hey! Ho!" to the beat of the trance music. The toaster seemed quite distressed and could not shake them off. He didn't even notice it was a girl until he got there and pulled her away. There was a sort of an unspoken treaty between men that allowed him to do so without getting into a fight. All was required was a couple of silent glances between them, a little nod, one "alright, mate?" that he didn't aim towards any of them in particular, and one casual, synchronous shrug from them both. He took the toaster by the hand to the parking lot, where she immediately removed the toaster outfit and stood there in her black leotard alone.

"They spilled beer all over me." She said in a broken voice.

"Some boys are animals." He agreed –"I'm sorry. Hey, I gotta car. You wanna ride home?"

And anyways, he didn't mean for it to take too long. He told her to wait in the car while he went inside to check on Loki- stupid alien was all tangled up with Rogue again. He sighed to himself because talking sense into him was useless. Then he texted Storm, saying he'd be gone awhile, and went on with fulfilling his gentlemen calling- which he did _not_ intend to be entailing sex, but sometimes they just did. And whenever a girl asked him to stay over, he would always say "sure", as in this time. And when a girl would feel the strapped wings on his back, hidden under his shirt as they were kissing- she would always think first they were some sort of weapon, as in this time. And whenever he undressed and unclicked the straps, showing the girl his wings and spreading them in all of their marvel and awe- the girl would always want him more fiercely, as in this time.

So, here they were. She, pretending to be asleep, resting against his armpit (he wondered if he stank), his wings tucked under his back. He, staring at her for over half an hour and admiring the perky nose and the puffy round mouth- Candice. Her name was Candice. Calling her toaster would be objectifying- and he had made love with Candice very quietly, because her roommate was in, just behind the wall. 6 times. And a half, if you count the blowjob. However, now it was time for him to go. It's been ages since he had a proper girlfriend, and tearing himself away from her hard bed with the hard mattress and the view of her dark curls touching her dark nipples seemed unachievable.

"Hey." He said softly, mostly not to wake the invisible roommate.

"Morning." Said she, opening her slanted turquoise eyes and then hungrily wrapping her mouth around his lips and claiming him with a sweet kiss, moaning while ruffling his hair with feminine fingers. Warren was kissing her back, finding that he was still very much interested in this morning after. "Candice… " he muttered, holding her by the hips as she climbed on top of him, making his dick stir to attention –"I gotta leave."

"Yeah, I know. You gotta fly away with your big amazing wings- ah-"

"No, I wanna see you again, I swear-" Angel slid into her with a low sound, muffled by the palm she pressed to his lips, to prevent the awakening of the roommate, but then the bed squeaked so loudly as they moved together that there was no point, really.

*   

"Well, this is redundant." Emitted Loki, and pushed the shovel into the wet earth, stepping on its head with his foot to sink it deeper, and then leaning on the handle to raise a pile of dirt and shuffle it away –"Or did she send us out here to dig our own graves? Because that would make more sense."

Angel laughed heartily in response –"If you are searching for logic, you will defo not find it in Jean's orders, mate."

The rain was pouring heavily on both of them, and Angel had already rid himself of his shirt and was working bare-chested, which Loki could appreciate. He still less appreciated the many hickeys the sculptured torso was sprinkled with- scarlet, violet and blue- to mark the memories of livid lovemaking. Loki scowled primarily at the sight, but afterwards he was mainly fascinated to watch the bruises dance as they were eradicating weeds from the rose flowerbed in the garden. It was meant to be a punishment for their reckless behavior of late, and especially during the Halloween party; and they were toiling while the others were feasting on roast potatoes and turkey and could be seen from the outside through the huge dining room windows. 

"Remind me what was our crime again?" Loki tore out a bunch of roses instead of weeds and threw them at Angel's feet –"oops."

"Crimes." Corrected Warren with a fake serious face.

"Yes, yes, of course. There were many, weren't there?"

"Hmm. Let me see, Loki of Asgard… Well, first you insulted Kitty's cookery, which is not at all fine."

"So I did." Answered Loki solemnly and held up one finger to show that he was keeping track. –"but it did look like diarrhea."

"Then…" Angel scratched his chin –"I think I was supposed to watch over you at the party, and never leave your side, so that you don't use the opportunity to blow up the place or something… but I preferred the company of a hot toaster named Candice."

"Company? That is an interesting choice of words. Come on, Birdman. Accuracy." Loki was now holding up two fingers.

"I won't say I fucked her." Blushed Angel.

"There you go, bravo. What else?"  

"So, I was _enjoying myself_ instead of babysitting you, and you… "

"And I?" Loki put down the shovel and looked at Angel through a screen of falling water, they were both soaking wet, but did not mind it.

"You really want me to say it, Lockster?"

"Yes, I relish the sound of it."

"Haha, okay. Then you, God of Chaos, Master of Mischief- " Angel placed his shovel against a tree and moved towards Loki, resting a palm on his shoulder with formality –"ended up in Rogue's bed."

"Oooh."

"Hahahaha!"

"I beseech you, say it again."

"You, my friend, Tyrant of Tricks, Prince of Pus-"

But then the window opened and the sour-faced Jean yelled at them to renew their working. "Back to back this time! No talking!" and she slammed the window shut. Knowing that she was able to hear their thoughts, on top of it all, Angel and Loki worked silently for over an hour, until the lights went off in the dining room and the evening came upon them with a lightning storm, reminding Loki of home; and all of the roses on his side were crumpled and trodden, as the weeds stood proudly erect. It was then that Angel spoke again.

"I heard there was a collar."

"I beg your pardon?" Loki wiped the sweat off his brow but didn't turn his head.

"Rogue has _a collar_. It's like a gadget or something."

"I do not see where this is going."

"Oh, but you're gonna like it nonetheless." Said Angel and then he walked backwards, pretending to be measuring the length of the ditches he was digging, and then he raised his wings to hide both of them –"It was the work of the professor, he made this collar to mitigate Rogue's powers." Angel was talking under his breath, and all of a sudden Loki's muscles didn't hurt as much as they did before, and he was all ears.

"Go on."

"When she puts it on, she isn't deadly to the touch, is all I know. I also know that when Remy was around she would wear that collar all the time. I personally never saw it, guess she kept it covered, but I have reason to believe it's a real thing. It exists."

"You were right. I do like that." Replied Loki, and a wide smile painted his cold lips.

"Haha, I knew you would, Bro. Don't mention it."

"So… where is that collar exactly?"

"I'm quite sure she has it hidden somewhere. You two have grown kinda close, I guess you could just ask her."

"Close?" Loki gave a dry laugh –"I do not pretend to know anything about that wench."

"And yet she fell right into your arms." Offered Angel reassuringly.

"The woman was intoxicated." Spat Loki –"Even I know it means nothing."

"What was she like in the morning?"

"I was not there in the morning. You only gave me time 'till six." said Loki with a minor accusation in his tone.

"So you were never caught?" Angel blinked –"Then what are you punished for?"

"Taking advantage of her on the sofa or something preposterous of the sort."

"What?! That was practically cuddling!" Angel protested, and Loki was flattered that he was so protective of him.

"I know." He said quietly.  

"Alright." Angel turned and Loki got a whiff of his body odor as he did, everything about that creature was attractive, he concluded. From his marble muscles to the last feather in his majestic wings, as if he was made for the mere pleasure of other beings. –"You should ask her to meet you again in private. If she likes you, then she will just say yes, I guess. Your room, maybe? Tonight?"

Loki chuckled –"Is that how you go about things with your numerous lovers?"

Angel shrugged –"Well… yeah?"

"So you just invite them over."

"Nah." Angel looked around to see that nobody was spying on them, but the thick fog of the evening was already settling, and the rain continued to pound, flooding the flowerbed and turning it into a small swamp. "I don't bring them here, mate. It's the last thing I need… anyways, you do have a phone, right?"

"Yeah-" Loki pulled it out of his pocket instinctively.

"Hey, NO! not in the rain, you silly alien! You'd wreck it. It's not waterproof, you know. Here-" Angel shielded them with his right wing –"Now, text her." He held Loki's phone under his face –"Common, mate. We don't have much time before Jean sees us."

Loki had already learnt how to use his phone over the past few weeks, but the thought of using it for his private matters never crossed his mind. He was, indeed, a silly alien.

"Right." He said with a stern face, and with stiffed fingers he pushed the buttons clumsily, feeling stupid.

"Haha." Angel laughed, but he was not mean. –"Here, I'll show you. This is she, you see? With that picture of a middle finger up-"

"Why-"

"Nevermind. Now, you click here, and here is where you type, then you send her a message."

"And no one else would know about it?" asked Loki suspiciously.

"Nope."

"Are you certain? Only she will see it?"

"Your one and only. Now, hurry."

Loki wasn't entirely satisfied, but he still typed in: "I haven't finished my research."

"You're not done, now click 'send'"

"Do not condescend."

"I did not!"

As the message was sent, the two of them hovered over the phone like hungry hyenas, but nothing happened for many moments, and Loki was unhappy.

"How can I tell that she received it?"

"You cannot, in her case- but… oh. She is online, she saw it, dude."

*

Loki lay on his bed, with his phone in his hand, pondering. He was tapping the plastic with his long fingers, and the images from last night were washing over him like big ocean waves; the little moans of surprise pleasure he was able to draw from her, the tricks they were pulling together to put Jean on her tiptoes… and. the weight of someone's head against his chest was a comfort he had missed terribly, and inside his wet clothes his cock was longing for attention, because he was neglecting it. His head was overwhelmed by theories about Rogue and her silence. More than 30 minutes passed before he sat up on the mattress and began unlacing his working boots, which were covered in mud. Life without magic was indeed a hassle, especially with the most mundane of tasks. Those Midgardians obviously kept themselves occupied by running around the clock to cook and clean and pull out weeds and text on their phones so that they hardly had any time to think; no wonder their intelligence was limited. Panting, he was finally able to pull off the left boot when his phone made a noise. Loki froze for an instant, his eyes fixed on his wiggling toes inside the loose sock dangling from his foot. He turned sideways to look at his phone, still glowing, that was resting on the pillow.

"This better be you, Princess." The idea of the collar popped into his consciousness again and egged him on to check what she had written; only his hands were muddy too.

"Blast it." He briskly wiped them against his trousers, that were already wrecked by the thorns and the weather, and reached for his phone, clicking them virtual buttons on the screen.

The picture of the middle finger sticking up apparently said: "What research?"

So. She doesn't remember how they talked about her ability to fly. How he had interrogated her about it and told her it was for research purposes. No, of course she can't remember, silly alien. Loki frowned and typed back –"The one about black holes. I fear your memory might be stained with one. Right in the middle."

"Loki?" came the reply. That was fast enough and it took him a moment or two to realise she didn't have his number, nor was she expecting him to contact her. That was a relief.

"Bastard, is what you call me usually."

"Now it all makes sense." Came the reply, but before he could think of an answer his phone made a sound again –"Are you lonely, or bored?"

"Curious."

"How shall we fix it, then?"

"You should come over." Offered Loki, and as soon as he sent that message, he regretted it, because of its plain nature; it was really unlike him, being plain- but then the idea of that collar had made him so eager, that he was getting ahead of himself. What were his father words again?

"Alright, Sugar." Said Rogue and Loki almost typed in "Really?" since he was expecting a refusal, or at least an excuse, but with all possibilities made possible with that casual exchange of words he was now caught into a little panic. His clothes were a mess and the bed looked as if a mongrel had rolled in it. He leapt off the mattress and kicked the boot he was already able to remove under the bed. There was a wet patch where it had rested before, and for the love of-

"Be there in 10 min." 10 min? min for minutes, he figured. That is hardly enough time for him to pre-

"Should I bring anything with me?"

The little _vixen_. Loki deeply wanted to write "your collar, Mutant" but instead typed "no need" then pulled off the second boot with a grunt and shoved it under the bed to join its partner. Time, there was no time and he wasn't properly prepared. These clothes will definitely not do, and he was unwashed, but they would not get naked, or would they? He rushed to the chest of drawers and scoured through the content, but there were only X-Men uniform and more uniform. Had he his magic… no, no point thinking about that. He needed a different kind of magic, and for a second or two he was playing with the idea of waiting for her with no clothes on whatsoever. But that would be assuming too much. Now, what would Angel do? And like a stroke of lightening Loki realized he could simply _ask_ him. He picked his phone once more and called him.

"Lockster! Haha, you're calling me at night now? Haven't had enough of me all day, huh? You really should find some hobbies, you know, but for intelligent people- like chess or som-"

"Shut up, will you." Loki huffed into the phone –"She's on her way over and I've nothing to wear."

"If she is on her way after midnight, then you probably won't need anything to we-"

"Angel, I mean it. I got 7 minutes." 

"Whoa, that's… well, okay, Buddy. We'll fix you. I'll drop by with some of my nice but not too fancy clothes. Just don't get any cum on them, I dare you."

"Get what?"

"Semen. Don't you have that on your planet?"

"If you are suggesting that I would be so careless as to-"

"Kidding, mate, just kidding, you can have these clothes. It's on me."

"I think perhaps you did not get it." Said Loki, painting every word with sarcasm between gritted teeth –"when I said I was in a hurry."

Angel hung up. Loki swore and was about to call him again and use every insult he has learnt so far during his time on Midgard, but then the door to his chambers opened and there was the Angel holding two hangers in each hand like a walking closet with a shiny smile that invited a punch –"Tada!" he cried proudly and then: "so whatcha think? The blue really goes with your eyes-"

"I could not care less!" spat Loki and snatched whatever piece of clothing off the Angel's right hand, that happened to be a pair of jeans.

Angel was not the least offended –"Good for hiding whatever's going on down there. The fabric is thick, you see."

"What?" said Loki from the inside of the shirt he was taking off.

"Here." Angel handed him a gray hooded jumper with the sign "&" printed on it, for whatever reason, or perhaps there was none. Loki slipped into it to discover it was almost twice his size.

"Now the Jeans" said Angel, and did not look away when Loki got rid of his rough working trousers, dirty from the rain. –"You really must know, Lockster-"

"What. Must I know, pry tell."

"Them women? They do not like us too much when we're stressed out." The jeans were also too big, and Loki felt uncomfortable in them, but at least they weren't wet.

"What women?" Loki muttered absent-mindedly and then noticed to his horror that the bed was still as filthy as before. He tossed a blanket over it, but it still wasn't good enough so he switched off the light in the room, so that the sole remaining light source was the reading lamp on the nightstand.

"Angel, would you be kind enough to disappear?" Loki straightened up and started shoving him backwards in the direction of the door.

"If you do get somewhere with her, make sure you use a condom." Replied Angel, who was resisting his pushing.

" _What_."  

"It's a rubber you put over your dick so that you don't… "

"What's wrong with using my own? Why would I need rubber?" Loki was way beyond cross and he kept on trying to steer Angel out into the hallway before someone sees them.

"Well, you don't want it to end in pregnancy-"

"I've already gotten pregnant once, and it wasn't that terrible." Argued Loki –"now do you _mind?!"_

"No, no. they are also for protection, against sexually transmitted diseases."

"What are those?"

"You don't wanna know, man." Angel shook his head from side to side.

"Okay, well I don't have any rubbers. So that is the end of this discussion. Good night!" he finally got Angel to step outside of his room, and slammed the door in his face, missing the tip of his wing only by an inch.

"I might have left some in the pocket!" came Angel's muffled voice from the other side of the door.

"Just go AWAY." Yelled Loki.

"Yeah, I'm going. I'm gone! Have fun." There was shuffling of feet and then silence. Loki gave a huge sigh of relief and sat down on the edge of the bed before he remembered it was still wet and jerked up just in time, swearing yet again. This expected encounter with Rogue was surely more than he had bargained for already. It has been 13 minutes and she still hasn't arrived. Loki reached into the right pocket of the jeans and found a dozen plastic packages containing a rubber ring each. They were swimming in a slicky substance and some of them glowed in the dark, like the skeletons at the party last night. Them Midgardians surely had the weirdest habits. Carried on by his curiosity, he was about to unwrap one of the condoms when came a shy knock on the door. Loki hesitated for a second, realizing that his heart was picking up a hasty pace. He swept all the condoms and stuffed them in the first drawer, closing it with a thump.

"It's Rogue. You there, Sugah?"

Loki took in a deep breath to compose himself. He quietly approached the door and waited. Another knock, firmer this time –"Loki?" her voice losing some of its confidence. Good. Loki shut one eye and looked through the peep-hole to find her standing in the hallway, dressed in black leggings, a long sleeved blue sweater and a crimson leather jacket. Her dangerous hands were covered in matching crimson gloves, and crimson were also the heavy boots that reached all the way to her knees. Her hair was in a pony-tail again. He hated that pony-tail.

"For fuck sake." Swore Rogue, and this time she banged on the door. Enjoying her annoyance, Loki decided there was no need for light after all. He switched off the light on the nightstand and then opened the door in one swift movement, giving her a dirty look and a smile " _Ti's some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door_ " then he picked up Rogue by her waist before she could respond and threw her over his left shoulder. She gave a small yelp as he turned and kicked the door shut. There was only darkness now, and some heavy breathing below his ear, but knowing his room well enough by now he could calculate the location of the sofa, where he laid Rogue and jumped on top of her, like a leopard.

She gave another yelp as he pressed his full weight against her –"Loki!"

"Shh, shh-" he whispered –"No loud noises. The door is broken, anyone could come in."

Rogue adjusted her position beneath him and whispered back –"and the light?"

"Also. Broken." He said, finding the fringe of her jacket with his hand –"take that thing off."

"Yessir." Said Rogue in a playful tone and started squirming to get out of the jacket, but mostly it was just sexual as she was arching upwards unnecessarily with her eyes never breaking from his.

"You think this is a game?" he asked, placing a hand under her collarbone.

"Well, isn't it?" asked Rogue teasingly.

Loki blinked for a second, then reached upwards and fumbled through her hair for the band keeping it in a pony-tail. When he was able to find it he yanked it out, not without force, so that her hair came loose around her face. "Do not hide your hair when you come to see me."

"Noted." Rogue spread her legs and gracefully crossed them over the small of Loki's back –"Anything else, Mister Prince?"

Clearly, the mutant wasn't taking him seriously enough. She wasn't scared where she should have been, or held back in any way, and his venomous schemes were beginning to sizzle at the pit of his stomach. He coiled his fingers around her left ankle and started working on the many buckles of her boot. Rogue was panting at that, as if he was stripping her naked.

"Loki, you don't have to open them, just pull the damn thing off-"

Loki smiled and leaned back, sitting on his thighs and releasing the first buckle with a satisfying "click". "As I cannot fuck you, what difference does it make how long I take?" he offered pleasantly, feeling her blushing even through the darkness.

"I didn't think about that."

"Did you not?" he left the boot and was caressing up her calf, to the fold behind her knee, then went back to the second buckle –"Well, I have."

Sunk between the pillows of the sofa, Rogue purred –"What did you have in mind?"

"If I told you now, you'd be running through that door faster than a fox tied to a flaming squib."

"I'm not easily scared, Loki."

"We will see." Another "click" and the second buckle was open. His fingers were pulling at the third, but he had to acknowledge that his own patience was running out as the blood was pulsating secretly behind his zipper. Everything about Rogue was inviting him (or perhaps anyone) to take her, but this was a crude _lie_ , as she was playing it safe in the confines of her abilities that made her Miss Deadly-to-the-Touch. And Loki would not come to terms with that and he would definitely not be fooled.

A third "click" released the third buckle, and Loki then slipped off her boot and tossed it aside, moving on to the next one he figured a fragment of doubt was creeping into the mutant, for her breaths became uneven.

"What is it, Marie?" his voice came out softer than he had intended.

"All good." Said she. That was a lie and Loki smiled –"let me rephrase the question: is that excitement, or fear?" a cadence of three clicks freed her second boot and Loki grabbed it, but did not attempt to pull it off, lingering.

Rogue rose to her elbows with her ankle still in his grip, and her eyes were two shiny twinkles that reflected the window frames –"Since you keep on asking, Loki, maybe _you're_ the one who's afraid." She noted.

The idea went through him as icy as a northern gust, too terrible to even examine, therefore he gave it a mental kick before it could assimilate itself, then ripped off her boot and gave way to the static noise of his essence coming from beyond the stars, Loki spoke in a different tone this time: "On your stomach, Mutant."

"Kay." Rogue turned lazily under him, and lay comfortably on her belly, then placed her head on one of the cushions, and not before she gave it several beatings to puff it up. Still playing, but he knew how to unknot that attitude, or at least he thought he did.

"Hands" he said firmly.

"Hands." Repeated Rogue and put them obediently behind her back –"Are you gonna tie me up like you did your pets? What with? Coz chains are cold, I don't like them."

He would slap a pet for such a statement, because they did not get to choose. But this was a different planet with different rules; and the mutant was simply too cute. "You're not a pet, and there won't be any chains, but it will be cold nonetheless." He answered, and improvising, Loki took off one of his long socks that was still wet and fastened it around both her wrists in a solid tie, and then secured it. Water from the squeezed sock was dripping over her back and her bum, but she hardly ever flinched and made no vocal protest whatsoever. A tough one, for certain, and viewing her as she was the idea crossed his mind that maybe being a warrior had put her in much more stressful situations in the past. He would have to try harder to spark up a thrill. Or maybe- this was even more depressing- Remy had been a more inventive lover. That last thought trigged aggravation, and provided yet another incentive to his already willing hardness. With one knee on either side of her hips, Loki lowered himself to sit on her bum and leaned forward wordlessly to begin rolling Rogue's sweater up her restricted body, striving to expose the skin.

Rogue tensed on spot and made but a little sound. Beneath the sweater was another layer, but this one was a tank top and it was thin and rather lucid. As Loki was moving his hand up and down her spine the fabric was losing its tightness and dislodged to reveal a silky stripe of skin on her lower back, just next to his crotch. Loki inhaled deeply and his eyes glazed as he tilted his head sideways wanting to do more, to touch more. However, Rogue's naked skin was sprouting with goosebumps and she curved into the sofa in an attempt to keep her remaining clothes on –"Yo, Loki, what are you doing?" her head was turning over her shoulder, but she failed to find an angle in which their eyes could make contact.

"I believe I was undressing you when you began to express inconvenience".  

"Loki, but if something happens to you-"

"Now see, Mutant, here is the problem, as you got this all reversed. Being tied up and helpless in my room, and at my mercy, it really isn't me you should be worrying about."

"I'm not helpless." She said into the pillow –"I could get out of that tie."

"Really. Then by all means, let us see how." Loki got up and stepped away from the sofa, genuinely intrigued by the challenge. It mattered not to him whether she could break loose or not, because he did have other tricks up his sleeves. Nevertheless, it could do no harm to learn about her strengths, and how they might be overpowered.  

Rogue started squirming. First she was clearly putting on a show for him to enjoy, but within half a minute the squirming became more violent and frustrated –"I'm getting there." Said she.

"I am not in a hurry." Replied Loki.

It took her another 30 seconds, but Rogue was all flexible muscles, which made it possible for her to wiggle herself into a sitting position, and in 90 seconds she was up and about. With her hands still behind her back she moved towards the door, then turned to lock eyes with him before leaning back and using the handle for leverage against the knot, then pulling- - - to no avail. She tried two or three more times, and then panting, eyes big with either wonder or fear- she grunted at Loki, who was smiling.

"It only tightens if you pull at it." He said casually –"It is a vicious tie, that was unfair. Are you well?"

Rogue gave no reply and her eyes were finally showing some true emotion. He had given her a glimpse at the chaos within, her response only setting him ablaze… but for all her talk and teasing, she wasn't made to be dominated. With her, if it was her he wanted, it had to be only a pretense. 

"I believe I have proven my point. I will undo it, it is nothing. Come here." He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. Encouragingly, he rubbed her back and shoulders –"Marie, I'm sorry. It is but a silly trick." But he was the one encouraged. By the closeness of her body, and by the scent of her fear, and in the darkness he walked her back to the sofa and found himself saying "Bend over."

For a moment, she stood stiffly in front of him, but wouldn't move a muscle, except for a visible chill tensing her shoulders; and in the next he shoved her down with his right hand, folding her over the furniture. Rogue gave the tiniest of moans as she was bent forwards, but her body relaxed as she was placed into position. What is he doing? And is she actually liking it?

Reluctant to resist his springing urges, Loki pressed against her bum and reached for her tied hands in an intention to release her, although by now his intentions and his wills were worlds apart.

"Don't." she finally spoke.

"Don't what?' he asked breathlessly.

"Don't untie me."

Loki inhaled deeply, then let go of her hands and grabbed her by her waist, pressing more boldly into her back side. He closed his eyes for a moment, almost hearing the gushing of his blood in his veins. His throat made an animal-like sound, but it was soft and almost inaudible. His voice a whisper when he asked –"No?"

"You heard me twice."

"Well, perhaps I need to hear it again, before we get to the point of no return." Loki said intently.

Rogue swallowed quietly, and then turned her head sideways against the rest of the sofa –"Don't untie me." She repeated obediently.


	21. Fire in the Gates of Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rogue and Loki keep playing with fire, but it is Kitty who gets burnt :P

_I want to fuck you like an animal_   
_I want to feel you from the inside_   
_I want to fuck you like an animal_   
_My whole existence is flawed_

_[NIN]_

Rogue swallowed quietly, and then turned her head sideways against the rest of the sofa –"Don't untie me." She repeated obediently.

"Very well." Loki lifted both her legs and rolled her over the rest to land back into the cushions and then stepped around the sofa to stop in Rogue's sightline, looming over her. The image of her tied on his sofa, her clothes all ruffled and her eyes on the edge of fear was deeply alluring, but he couldn't act on half of his desires given her lethalness. He wanted to bring up the collar, but he felt it wasn't the right time quite yet. No, she would have to be completely over the rainbow for that.

"Comfortable?" he asked after a while.

"Yeah." Answered Rogue –"You gonna join me, Handsome?"

"Maybe later." Said Loki coldly, although his hard-on was already torturing him so blissfully, then Rogue frowned.

"None of that." Said he –"you've knowingly tapped into my favorite inclination, and roused my demons within, surely you could imagine where this was leading."  

"Oookay." Said she –"Okay, I'll be good."

"Excellent." He grabbed the rolling chair from near the desk and placed it close to the sofa, then took a seat inside it, examining Rogue from above for a long moment.

"You're a mass of contradictions." He concluded, and his voice was kind.

"I get told that…" she smiled. She actually smiled at him. The humble gesture made him think tying her was a good idea. It made her relax around him, which wasn't a rare response, and yet interesting.

"By whom? Remy?" he couldn't resist asking. It slipped out.

"You already know he got tired of it. Eventually." Answered Rogue.

"Not that tired if he keeps on trying to reach you, and you keep coming back."

Rogue's heavy eyebrows came together "Say _what_ now??" she called out loudly.

"I thought I told you to be quiet." Loki's eyes shone at her warningly.

"You want me to be quiet, you stop stepping on my tail!" she whisper-shouted at him –"Why would you suggest that I-"

"Where have you gone off to a couple of days ago? You were not in the mansion."

"Oh, you're stalking me now?"

Loki went quiet for long seconds, staring at her neck that was straining to maintain her head upright ever since he has mentioned her ex-lover, and he found that endearing.

"Yes." He replied, his gaze climbing to her face and watching her features soften.

"That's creepy." She accused, but then her tone turned playful –"Maybe even illegal. Plus you've locked me in your room that is pitch dark, and bound me with a dripping – what is it even? I hope it's not your underwear, coz then I'll start thinking you're really a pervert."

Loki chuckled –"You seem rather content with all of the above."

"AND you want me to be quiet. Maybe I'll scream."

"I'll make you scream alright." He rolled the chair closer to the sofa and placed his left hand on her shoulder, urging her to lie down again –"But I would like to get to know you first." That was a lie. Rogue reacted to the touch and dropped back to the pillows, pursing her lovely lips as Loki rubbed her upper arm over her sweater –"How about an exchange of information."

"You wanna know how to get rid of your tracker? That it?"

"Nothing of the sort." He moved from the chair to the sofa and rolled the mutant on her back, then tugged the sweater upwards again, careful not to stir the tank top that was under it. He bowed to plant a rough kiss at the center of her belly, where her navel was. Rogue gobbled air in shock to that and her mouth gaped in a silent shriek. Staying where he was, Loki rasped his chin against her abs and ribs in long strokes –"I am more interested in how to get inside you." He spread her legs in a single swipe and got between them.

"Loki, I can't."

"Nonsense." Leaning in for the second time, he let his tongue out and traced the dimple he had kissed minutes ago, now circling its rims and licking slowly, until the mutant finally broke into a moan.

"Loki, my clothes-" she managed only barely.

"Will stay on." He promised – mouth against her belly- and massaged her arm reassuringly –"Stop thinking. And say my name if you must say something." This wasn't close to last night, when she was drunk and melting, but he was proud of himself for making her cooperate so far. Was it time to bring up the collar? Perhaps not quite yet. He licked over her navel patiently until the fabric of the top was utterly drenched, then let his tongue prod and poke into the little hole. Rogue jerked under him with a hoarse cry, kicking into the pillows of the sofa at her feet.

"What is it?" Loki asked, although he knew. He lifted his gaze to enjoy the view of her biting into a pillow to throttle the noises running from her. It was such a sweet sight he almost fell apart.

"Mggmm!" was her ineloquent reply.

"Was that a plea? Wishing me to stop?"

Rogue spat the pillow out of her mouth –"No." she said, giving him a submissive look that nearly butchered the remnants of his self-control. "No, please. Don't." Collar or no collar, he had her under, and all of his lifelong poise vaporized at that moment, because his human body would not give him a break. As he dove in again, his wanton tongue plunged into the mutant's navel, sincerely fucking it with an in-and-out routine- her sounds were lush now- and he added a hand between her legs, a finger searching for what would be a very eager clit- but there was no need. The mutant climaxed in his arms before he had a chance to, howling weakly like a pup with her eyes wet with passion. That flooded him, in turn, with the sensation of pure victory- but he wasn't done. Hurriedly he reached into his oversized pants and jerked his aching dick twice or thrice before ejaculating over the zipper from the inside. So much for being careful with Angel's borrowed clothes- but it mattered not, because he was the happiest he'd been since he was thrown down here. He foundered on top of the mutant, and held her in a tight embrace, showering kisses on her hair and her breasts, when he truly wanted to devour her mouth in a thank you sonata of wrapping tongues.

"Loki." Muttered the mutant, and her voice was a song.

"I am here." Said he, noticing he was still hungry, but that could be postponed. He closed his eyes against her shoulder. He didn't mean it to happen in this manner, but it did. He was going to have her linger and begging – then throw in the fact he knew about the collar- well. Who cares. He was now on the verge of sleep. The human body wanted to sleep after release-

"Loki-"

"Right, we need to unbind you. Which is very unfortunate." His hand crept under her to detect her tied wrists against the small of her back while he was still on top- the load of his body pressing her and letting her feel each shift from above and below. As he trifled blindly with the knot, he observed how dense it had gotten during the struggle and that sparked up a twinge of abashment within him. But only a small one. Once he found the tricky loop that held the entire knot together, he pulled it free and Rogue made a grateful hum but nothing otherwise.

"Can you move your hands, Mutant?"

"Not yet, they're a bit tingly."

"You mean numb." His voice somber, Loki sat up and flipped her over again. He tossed the wet sock aside with disgust and began rubbing rapidly at her knuckles and palms. The twinge was now a bawling burn of qualms for his sloppiness and foolery. He's had years of experience and should have been more attentive, where he could have caused her hands to fall off. Or perhaps that was what she longed for- the thought made him mad.

"I expect you to be responsible if we're going to be strolling along the edge, or occasionally fall off it." He watched the gloved fingers twitch back to life with relief- dropping then with annoyance.

"In what way, Sugah?" she asked hazily.

"In a _talkative_ way." He growled –"You seem to talk yourself silly when it's unnecessary, but for once when it's _crucial_ -"

"Well you said to be quiet…" she offered innocently and rose from the pillow, but Loki shoved her back down by her head and held her there –"I'm quite serious, Mutant."

"Yeah, I know… sorry, okay?"

Loki rolled his eyes and released her. At that moment she turned and flung her hands around his neck, pulling him back to the warmth of her eternal clothes and her scent. He crashed forcefully against her, which earned him a giggle and made the sofa rattle.

"Really, very, deeply, honestly sorry, Loki."

"Enough with them apologies. You'll pay for it tomorrow night. Maybe in the morning, if I get inspired."

"I'm looking forward to being your muse, but can we please go and sleep in your bed?"

"No." grumbled Loki into a round breast –"T'is broken."

"How come everything you have is broken?" wondered Rogue, amused.

"I am extremely incautious." He blurted. That was a truth.

*

Kitty Pryde couldn't sleep that night. Everything that happened in the mansion- no one told her about. Nobody cared to keep her in the loop. But she had overheard that Loki tried to rape Rogue on the sofa during the party- that was bullshit- Rogue tried to seduce him, it was so obvious and so pathetic. She even pretended to faint over him, just to get him going. That's why him and Angel got punished unfairly and they spent the entire day in the garden, in the pouring rain, working until their muscles burned. And Loki… she had already cried many tears for him. He said mean things to tease her, and nice things to get the worries off her mind after she bumped clumsily into him. He always stared at her, wherever she was- his eyes were on her, penetrating, large and green and full of secrets and promises. He was the first and only male to ever acknowledge her, and he wouldn't stop. He was possessive of her, wanted her solely to himself. He even told her to get naked, but at the time she could not muster the courage to take off her clothes because she was ashamed of her body. While all the females in the mansion were perfectly cut and abundant with valleys and hills – she had two pointy buds for boobs, a saggy stomach and no waistline. Her face was also not the bestest. She knew she wasn't pretty ever since she came to comprehend how _attractive_ some people could actually be, and her time around some of the most gorgeous creatures to ever walk the earth left her coy and shadowy. She knew there was no way she could compete with them- Angel looked like an Italian supermodel. Jean had the best reddish flowing hair, Storm had an hourglass shape and a dollface, and Rogue had an ass that made traffic stop. And they were all so tall, when Kitty was small; but maybe Loki preferred small girls, to keep in the nest of his arms until they completely disappeared in there- small and compact with little feet and little hands and tiny boobs- that's how he liked them. If he didn't fancy her petite figure, why would he ask her to strip? She had thought about that request for many nights and days, and also about the future invitation that came at the end of their encounter- he said to come with no clothes, if she wanted to see him. And now she was naked, under her bathrobe, after shaving every hair on her body and washing thoroughly between her legs and putting on mascara and perfuming every dip and every fold- as she saw on a youtube tutorial. Naked, and ready, for her virginity to be taken. No, not taken. Given to the man most fit for the task, because he liked her the way she was. Nervous, she was passing in front of his room back and forth for maybe the tenth time already, and the mansion was cold and quiet. The slit under his door gave her nothing to work with- it was just black and unmoving. Could he be asleep at only 1 AM? That was very unlike him, she knew from previous detours she had taken to test herself- whether she had the nerve… he couldn't be at Rogue's again. He had a tracker installed that would trigger a hectic mayhem had he chose to ignore his schedule. He had to be inside.

She was thinking about phasing through the wall and letting her robe fall, just like the films. She would be presenting her nakedness to him in the moonlight or wake him with a fluttering kiss on the ear.

Kitty drank in the night air, a bit addled, and stood at the door with a firm decision forming in her mind, when she heard a feminine voice spilling from inside- "No." the voice pleaded –"No, please don't-" and it was followed by a trail of painful moans. Kitty's eyes widened in apprehension and she bit on her fist. Someone was clearly in trouble, and Loki was tormenting them! She closed her eyes tightly and phased through the wall, hoping the cover of darkness would be enough to mask her presence. Once she was inside, the sounds were deeper and louder. She had to be careful not to let her breathing become frantic. She had to force herself to open her eyes- and she did: first in was all a blend of blackness with shapes in the background, shadows in motion like a broken screen; but after a while she knew for certain what she was witnessing. It was rape, after all. Loki was on top, trying to get the shirt of his victim off with his teeth-  Rogue- thrashing beneath him – and worse- her hands were nowhere to be seen. It took Kitty a second to understand he had her tied and restrained. Horrified, Kitty phased backwards, and with her hand on her mouth and tears in her eyes she ran. She had to tell someone, but how would she explain? There was no time to think about that. First she thought of telling Storm, who was always her first choice when there was trouble, but she would be asleep and ask her many questions, and she most probably won't believe her. It had to be Jean. She would be at the professor's study, still working. Kitty ran all the way there, then barged in, swimming in her own tears and panting.

"What on earth is wrong, girl?" Jean's voice was harsh as her eyes landed on Kitty, and she put away her glasses and closed her laptop –"You look like hell."

"I… it's Loki! He's raping Rogue in his room!" Kitty cried out, shivering all over with blame and terror, but Jean did not seem impressed or shaken at all to hear this news. She got up from her seat at Xavier's desk slowly and approached Kitty, taking her chin in her cold hand and tilting it towards her rigid face –"Raping." She said –"as in taking her against her will?"

"ye…yes!" stuttered Kitty –"he had her tied down and… everything- she said no, she refused him, I heard it, I saw it!"

"And why were you there, exactly?" asked Jean, her hold on Kitty's chin unpleasant and almost angry. This was not the reaction Kitty was hoping for. She gulped miserably.

"I was just… on my way to the bathroom… to take a shower…" she tried, a fresh stream of tears erupting from her eyes behind her glasses, smearing her useless mascara- she could taste it on her lips.

"You seem clean enough to me." Said Jean and released her chin. Kitty lowered her eyes and wanted to dissolve into the floor. And here she was regretting, truly regretting, that it wasn't Storm she went for when she should have. Regretting the whole damn thing entirely.

"I'll take care of it." Said Jean, measuring her with judging eyes, probably reading her mind –"You go to bed now, Katherine, your _own_ bed. Stop lurking about in the hallways with no underwear like a pathetic slut."

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry." Said Kitty, choking on her tears.

"And wipe that alien off your mind. This is the last I hear from you about him."

"Yes." Sobbed Kitty –"I promise." – defeated and deflated she padded back to her room and tore every thought of Loki from her hopes and fantasies, crying her eyes out into her quilt and leaving behind black trains – she swore never to speak of him again.

*


	22. The Master Monstercock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Rogue keep on going wild and get caught. some fluff and cute sex (sorry)  
> [also sorry this one is a bit shorter. been a bit under the weather. hope to be in full force again asap. preferabley tomorrow]

The promise of sleep never actualized that tempestuous night, because their hasty dalliance was apparently not enough to fully satisfy any of them, and his rickety sofa in his room of broken things kept them perilously snug. Following a promiscuous instinct, Rogue trailed his calf over his jeans with her toes.

"I am evidently still hard, woman." Muttered Loki below her neck, his face flat against her sweater.

"Haven't noticed." Said she.

"How about now." He lifted himself on his elbows and rocked into her hips once, which was nice, but insufficient. It made her gasp, though. Many things about him took her breath away, and she knew she was being a hussy, as in Storm's accurate definition of her, but the force of his appeal already tilted the scales. Everything they did together was a discovery which excited her, even if she wouldn't let herself go all the way.

"Still a no." she lied –"You could get naked." She suggested, casually. Loki's eyebrow moved with amazement, as if he was a cartoon character.

"Would that not scare you off?" he wondered, his voice heavy with passion –"Given the fact that we've been so… careful."  

"Don't think so." She hissed with expectation.

"Alright." Said he –"but once it's done, there will be no going back."

"I know." She replied, understanding that she was scared, amongst many other mystified emotions – but she knew one thing- that she wanted him. Unsure to what extent, or how deeply, but she wanted him nonetheless.

Loki sat upright on her pelvic bones, but to her he was lightweight as he pulled the hoodie over his head and put it aside – his eyes seeking approval in her expression. She was going to ask him exactly where he got these clothes, but the words got glued to her tongue because he was gorgeous. Yes, she did prefer them big and hairy, but then he had the sort of perpetual look that will never go out of season. Pale skin undaunted and smooth dotted solely by two tiny colorless nipples- that were hard. Beneath them there was a field of solid plates, to suggest there was energy stored there, beneath the surface, and two long, strong arms – perfectly proportional, and a pair of broad shoulders. Not as broad as Angel's, but sturdy enough to hold onto during an act- if he was ever going to get inside her… well, now he must. This was one handsome man alright. And yes, he was man. She was never going to question his masculinity again-

"So? Will it do?" he asked her. It sounded so strange, as if he was trying to get her opinion about a restaurant or a pair of shoes, as if his body was not his at all- but then she recalled what Storm had told her. That it was, indeed, a costume. He was an alien, and _what we perceive of him is a lie._ Storm said. Who knew what his true appearance was? And fuck her if she cared. All she wanted to do was touch him, not with her gloves, though. But taking them off would be-

"It will do." She heard herself saying, but her voice was small in her ears. She was mesmerized, and she felt bad for missing out on all of it. She had been dippy. Preventing herself from having fun with a valid and volcanic man who also wanted to have fun with her.

"Brilliant." Said he –"Let's see what you make of the rest of it" and it took him maybe seconds to get out of his pants and briefs- a strong sent of his previous release breezed against her nostrils, and it wasn't unpleasant. And there was his cock- standing imperiously in the lunar stream of bluish glow- and it was nice… meaning… unquestionably superb,  and…   _And_ -

"Large." Loki finished her thought for her and had her averting her eyes from the - _ahm_ … perfect penis back to his face above her.  

"Well, yeah." Was all she could say. Not _Hey, that's a master piece of a master monstercock,_ that could have been more appropriate. Or inappropriate. Depends how you look at it. 

"Are you happy, princess?" he asked silkily, sounding smug beyond repair, and an insidious smile hanging on his mouth.  Every single bit of him telling her wordlessly how her response was the best that he could ask for- it was probably flashing on her face like a neon sign.

"Yep." She repeated laconically –"can't say that I ain't." and though her words brief and seemingly indifferent, her heart was about to explode with want. He was able to read that, too, for Loki shifted slowly with the elegance of a cobra, took her gloved hand in his and pressed it to his chest, imploring her to study the milky ways of his earthly body.

"You picked it yourself, didn't you?" Rogue's words flew from her lips without her caring to consider them as she sketched his every rib and tendon with wondering fingers. She wasn't able to feel it, but then _he_ could at least, for his eyes squinched in the tiniest of gestures.

"Did you pick your clothes when you came to see me?" he returned the question, his voice heating up secluded areas in her insides –"What if you could choose your own body, mutant? Wouldn't you had done so?"

Rogue froze under him with her hand barely touching a beautiful blue vein in his inner arm. _Yes_. Yes she would, of course she would have. And what was she trying to say, anyway? That he wasn't his true self? For fuck sake, she had been twisting the truth herself since the day they met!

"Well?" Loki pressed on –"You became quite lethargic ever since I got myself undressed. Perhaps I better-"

"Will you put on a condom?" she said, once again, the words spilling from her mouth as if someone stumbled into her and the force of it made her spit them out.

"A condom?" Loki seemed to be searching his memory to connect the signifier with the signified- which was weird- because there were condoms all over the place.

"Yeah- there are the ones that fell from your pocket here on the sofa, and there are some of the floor… I thought you –"

"You thought wrong." He said harshly, so she dropped her hand back to her lap.

"Right. Alright. Nevermind it, Sugah."

But then the alien changed his mind. He silently picked one condom and tore the wrapping with his teeth, spitting the plastic aside and almost retching as Rogue watched him attentively "It smells like Jean's clinic." He complained.

"You get used to it, babe. Soz…"

Loki dangled the rubber he was able to withdraw from the plastic package with two fingers -"Why would anyone want to get used to a piece of slimy-"

"Just shut up. Here." Said Rogue impatiently and snatched the condom from him- partly because she couldn't wait much longer, and partly because he will not know what to do with it in a million years. She moved forward and skillfully rolled it over his dick, which couldn't have been that terrible to him for he craned his neck backwards and swallowed. Content with herself, Rogue opened her mouth and took his cock in as far as was possible, enveloping it with a thirsty suckle- making him inhale through his nostrils with what had to be surprise. Then he looked down at her, she could feel his gaze of amusement and amazement that was soon replaced with the unmistakable lust in his low voice –"Mutant-"

"Hmm." She acknowledged, already used to the stupid nickname he attached to her. The cock on her tongue pulsating like radiant star and toughening to her demands beyond its barrier.

"You need permission to do that."

He couldn't be serious! Rogue almost laughed – permission!- but she was too engaged in what she was doing to think or give him a snappy reply. She just hummed again and placed both her hands at the back of his thighs as he rose to his knees out of instinct, to get himself further in. She could guess he would be the kind of man to fuck her face once he got close to the end- it was bound to get rough, but she didn't mind it now. She didn't even mind the dusty taste of the condom – and all in all- Loki seemed more interested in the visual rather the sensational, because apart for an occasional shudder he was still, only looking down at her with what felt like fascination, despite his centuries of being-

The door opened, and it was so sudden that the river of light that came with the intrusion hit Rogue's eyes and she blinked and let Loki go without a sound. She was yet in a deeper shock when the light switch made a noise and their intimacy trampled by the invasive, flooding and crass light of a brighter nature.

"How unpredictable." Said Jean, who was at the doorstep –"The two of you breaking the rules again."

Rogue was just swollen with anger. She jumped over the rest of the sofa and stood up to her, her face hot –"He was in his room! Would you just stop picking on him, you _bitch_!"

"Yes, disrespectful as always, and ungrateful too, Marie. Don't you need a place to stay anymore? Because you know you can always leave."

Every cell and every sinew in Rogue's body wanted to throw a punch at her, but she had to get it together. It was true, she had no other place to go. She had to follow whatever stupid rule Jean just popped out of her ass – because she was now in charge, when Xavier wasn't around.

"And while you are here, you must respect the rules. He is a _prisoner_ –"

"Yes, yes, I heard you." Said Rogue, but then she fell right into the trap when she asked –"So when will be a good time to visit him?"

"Oh." Said Jean with mock surprise –"so the two of you… is it now a regular thing?"

It was now Loki who stepped in. Rogue couldn't believe it when he approached Jean with nothing on but his tracker and a loose condom. He stood erect in front of her and his voice was as placid as morning dew –"Jean. Would you like to put my sexual activities into my schedule?" and he showed her his ankle –"Would that be helpful?"

"No, because you aren't _allowed_ any sexual activities." Said Jean through gritted teeth.

Here, Rogue thought this was a done deal, but then Loki continued. He stepped even closer to Jean when he stated innocently –"I do not believe that's accurate. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I _believe_ the professor deliberately assigned Rogue to keep me entertained."

Rogue felt as if something burst in her chest and the splinters stabbing her heart and her lungs. She could neither breathe, nor speak, and all the bright light in the room could not compete with the darkness engulfing her from within. How did he know about that? And now that he did, it had to be fixed, because that wasn't why-

"She sucked on my dick." Loki kept talking, and it was other worldly and foreign. Barely coherent through the shame and distress she was drowning in.

"Loki-" she started.

"Hush." He barked dangerously, then turned back to Jean and resumed his speech –"I reckon that's entertainment. Don't you just rather ide be busying my mind with something as harmless as a blowjob instead of killing you one by one."  

And then, to Rogue's astonishment- Jean blushed. It was at that moment that Rogue began realizing the magic he had on her was not exclusive. A sharp pain shot through her stomach like a burning flame, and then the rest of it didn't matter.

Jean said –"Didn't come here for you this time, Asgardian, I came for Rogue. So save your boastful bragging" And it didn't matter.

Jean said –"Let's go-" and lead her outside, and it didn't matter.

Jean installed a tracker on her ankle, and it didn't matter.

The whole thing with Loki was a lie, and it didn't matter.

*

Once the two females left, Loki suppressed the urge to break the sofa, and the window, and the bed. Once again he was mad as he ripped off the condom and slipped back into the clothes Angel lend him. During the short time he was wearing them, he got used to the feeling – and they also smelled like the mutant now. Why was everything that he ever appreciated taken away from him? Time after time? And why did Jean come to spy on them and call them out? Well, Jean. For all her hatred and jealousy was very busy. Loki knew she was following him, but she wasn't following him that closely. Fact was that he was able to sneak out with Angel now and then without her noticing. She was a bitch, indeed, but she had more pressing things on her mind. Someone must have tipped her off.

Couldn't be Angel. He was a friend and Loki trusted him. Couldn't have been Rogue, and couldn't have been Storm – because she would show up herself if she wanted them to stop-

_Ah_.

A striking epiphany grabbed him by his infuriating guts. He knew who it was. And she had to be punished for that.  

*


	23. Wild, Wild Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Loki punishes Kitty for being a snitch (muhahaha) and then finds an original way to reunite with Rogue. and it's sweet, and it's horrible.

 

_It's the beginning of the end_   
_The car went up the hill and disappeared around the bend_   
_Ask anyone, they'll tell you that_   
_It's these times that it tends_   
_To start to breaking up, to start to fall apart_   
_**Hold on to your heart**_

_And do me a favor, will you break my nose_   
_And do me a favor, and tell me to go away_   
_Oh, do me a favor, stop asking questions_

**_[Arctic Monkeys]_ **

"You put a tracker on Rogue?!" Storm was beside herself –"She texted me at 2 AM!"

Storm and Jean were both in Xavier's study, and Jean was preparing for the upcoming long day, not really listening to what Storm had to say. She disconnected the Disk-On-Key from the laptop and shoved it into the pocket of her tight uniform pants.

"Yea, I put a tracker on her." Hummed Jean absent mindedly, ducking to collect her bag from under the desk and packing the laptop into it.

"Whatever for?!" cried Storm.

"She spent the night at Loki's. Or at least she tried to."

"So!??!" Storm got up and thumped on the table –"Jean! So what? She clearly wants it, he obviously wants it-"

"He doesn't get to have what he wants." Decided Jean.

"But-" Storm was completely baffled –"The professor said-"

"Well, the professor isn't in charge at the moment, I am, and I think we better keep the alien isolated. For the sake of us all. Are you coming to breakfast?"

"No, I want us to settle this, Jean." Storm was now determined, and she walked around the desk to stop her fellow X-Men from walking away. To stop her from ruining Xavier's plans entirely. –"Don't you get it?" continued Storm, a little more softly –"Rogue will never give up, and neither will Loki. You can chain them and track them and lock them away- they will only hate you- us- for it, and they are both powerful. I sensed Loki getting stronger in the last couple of days-"

"Oh, right." Jean's eyes lit up as if she just remembered something important –"Sex makes him stronger, not the training. We should take that into consideration."

"Well…" blushed Storm because it was awkward –"Then that's a good thing, right? Xavier intended for that to happen, we want him to remember who he is, so that he's not so bitter and vengeful all the time-"

"Do we?" Jean's eyes sparked dangerously –"Let me tell you something, Aurora. It was your little protégé, Kitty, who dropped by last night, frightened-which wasn't new- but she also was a wreck, like she has just seen the devil himself."

"Oh, Lord." Storm shook her hair –"What happened?"

"What _happened_ was that she phased through Loki's wall and saw him playing master and slave with Rogue."

Storm blushed even more deeply, and her yellowy eyes grew with dismay.

"She thought it was rape, apparently. You know that she's also infatuated with him, which we certainly do not need."

"No." said Storm quietly –"I didn't know." But once Jean put it out in the open, it all made sense. It was easy to think of Kitty as a child, because she was small and fragile, but the truth was she was a developing woman with developing needs, and it was no wonder that she took interest in the strange and mystical floater.

"My oh, my. What an adversity." Uttered Storm.

"Exactly." Agreed Jean –"And when I went in there, I found him naked as a newborn, feeding her his cock."

"Kitty?!" Storm almost chocked.

"No, of course not. _Rogue_."

"Oh…"

"She'll be his sex slave in no time." Said Jean casually, looking at her red painted nails –"she's already possessed – you should have seen her. Is that what you want for your friend?"

"Could have been just sex play…" Storm was trying to find the anchor of reason amidst this pandemonium, but her eyes were tearing up to picture Rogue being dominated like that.

"Well, you can hold onto your faiths and your beliefs in the good that you think resides in all of us, but _I can read minds_." Jean gave her a cold smile.

"What…" Storm stuttered and lost her inner balance, because Jean's case seemed legit all of a sudden. Perhaps it was better to have Rogue tied down by friends rather than enemies from another star –"What was his mind like…?"

Jean shrugged –"Crush, burn, peel off her skin, fuck her unconscious- stuff like that."

Storm quaffed a lungful of air and walked round the table to sit down again, feeling her way to the chair as she did, because she could not speak.

"That's… not a common fantasy." She finally said, voice strangled.

"No, it isn't." affirmed Jean –"but if you still question me, we can play good-cop-bad-cop. I won't mind it."

"Erm… what… what does it mean?" Storm had lost her grip on reality, and she wasn't really listening. Loki was an alien from who knows what culture, and making him feel at home might have been equal to carving their own tombstones. She felt like an idiot, for perceiving him as just one more lost soul.

"I could boss them around and be cruel and firm, you could be their friend and talk to them about their feelings. You know the drill." Said Jean –"we'll see whose method works best. In the end, we all share the same interests."

"Yes, right, okay." Said Storm.

"Now lets go have breakfast."

*

Ambling aimlessly on the edge of the pool with his hands behind his back, the trickster was contemplating his next gambit. It was a rainy afternoon and he was meant to be swimming as part of his routine, but he hated the smell of chemicals in the recycled water that irritated his skin and gave his hair a straw-like texture. They could force him to be there, but no one was going to toss him in the pool against his will. The steam hovering above the waters reminded him of the hot fountains of Asgard in an uncanny manner, and an aching memory shard of Thor and himself holding each other's heads underwater and trouncing about. The way things were going, he began to think that he might never again go back. He attempted to contact Rogue via text messages a couple of times since their interrupted semi-coitus, only the attempts failed and returned him an error announcement to suggest they weren't received or even sent. Jean was indeed a multi-talented witch and a worthy rival, but the fact she defeated him in the few initial rounds did not mean he was going to capitulate.

Drifting on the clouds of his thoughts and schemes, it took Loki over a half hour to notice his clothes were humid and sticking to his skin. He really should have worn what the Midgardians referred to as a swimsuit when he first arrived at the pool, but he failed to see the sense in that bothersome apparel when nudity was such a simple solution. However he was hot, so he walked over to the men's dressing room and took off his jacket, shirt and undershirt in addition to his shoes and socks. He hung the clothes neatly on a rack and the shoes he placed just under the wooden bench. He still had an hour or more to pass there before dinner so there was no point staying fully dressed and getting the uniform completely soaked. Just as he was exiting the dressing room, he saw a shadow of a girl sneaking hesitantly into the pool area and checking to make certain no one else was around. He could not believe his luck.

_Here, Kitty Kitty Kitty…_

Loki knew that Kitty usually only went swimming at nighttime, but here the little mermaid stepped out of her robe long before the sun had set and dipped her toe gingerly in the warm water. Once she was pleased with the temperature, she pulled her goggles down from her forehead unto her eyes and soundlessly slid inside. Oh, _the things he was going to do to her_. A fit of malice matriculated in his spirit because the kitten needed some rugged treatment and a heavy hand to deliver it, preferably painfully. He was not the one to put down the resentment he held for her for fetching Jean that night. He was going to drag her out to the stables and whip her with Gemini's crop until she yelled and sobbed. He was going to then coerce her jaw open and urinate in her mouth; and while she's dribbling and vomiting, he was finally going to take her virginity- with a spoon. His impish ideas were so colorful they got him crackling and zealous with euphoria- but then there was no way on Midgard he was able to make them materialize. With a deep sigh he carefully circled the pool behind her sightline as she was swimming gawkily- like a crippled duckling- and stepped into the women's dressing room. The scent in the air was of shampoo and perfume- scents manufactured to make men insane. He did not have to search for long because after all, it was only the two of them there: a little blue bag awaited him on the bench, presumably containing some of Kitty's treasures. Loki moved forward mechanically and opened it- there were some dry clothes there and a towel- these were useless. There was also a book called ' _Twilight'_ and some headphones- for listening to music, what will destroying these things give him? And then he noticed an oval plastic case and picked it up. When he unclicked it, he discovered her precious _glasses_ , the instrument that helped her fix her deteriorating eyesight. Well, perhaps Kitty needed a novel view on reality, because it was a harsh one and she had to grow out of her baby-fat. His first instinct was to shatter them, but that was inelegant and Loki had a much better idea- so he placed the open case back in the bag, pulled down his zipper and drew out his dick.  For long moments he stood there pondering and staring down at the shiny object, then he thought of Rogue. He jerked himself off with deft squeezes until he spilled all over the glasses and immersed them in the glop of his seed. Happy with the result, Loki aptly closed the loaded gift case, zipped back his trousers and walked away, resisting the impulse to whistle a gay tune.

He returned to the pool area, found a cozy seat and settled in it, watching Kitty swim. Took her a while to notice him, but once she did, her swimming motions became jittery and she hurried to reach the ladder – where he patiently waited for her, reaching out his hand.

"Need some help climbing out, Kitten?"

The girl shook her head with alarm and gazed at his hand as if it were a knife. She stayed put in the water, her goggles covered in vapors. She probably couldn't even see him, but that didn't matter.

"Little kittens shouldn't be in the water." Said Loki, his voice draped with danger–"In fact, there are many places where little kittens shouldn't be. They shouldn't be sniffing around in other people's bedrooms in the dead of night." His hand reached her goggles, yanking them from her face and throwing them into the pool viciously. There were two red rings around her eyes left by the goggles, which was pitiful. She still couldn't see him- he guessed.

"Did the little kitten enjoy what she saw?" he offered, tilting his head and dropping to his knees so they were face to face.

"No." whispered Kitty with a squeaky voice.

"Liar." Loki backhanded her full on the cheek generously, then grabbed her by her hair –"You loved every second of it. If I catch your little nose around my room ever again, I will not be so merciful as I am with you today." He growled, but there was nothing sexual about it, only pure hatred –"And if your little mouth starts running with telling tales, it will be running blood when I will see to it."

"I won't…" Kitty broke and wept in his hold –"I swear I won't… Loki, please don't kill me, please."

"Kill you?" he snorted and let go of her hair –"That would be a waste of my time, little girl. Run along now. I won't come after you." He rose and stepped away, walking back to his comfortable chair by the pool. He watched Kitty as she clumsily climbed up the ladder and ran to the women's dressing room. He waited two whole minutes before he heard her shrilling in horror- then leaned back and whistled his gay tune.

*

It's been three days with her tracker on. Rogue hated it, it was a parasite heavy and black and ugly as a tick that refused to budge. It stuck to her skin obstinately and it was always on her mind. She hit it against the wall a couple of times, on the first day- but then it started buzzing and she got a phonecall from Jean telling her to calm herself. They altered her schedule so that she would not bump into Loki that often, or almost ever. She did get a few sleazy text messages from him – they came from Angel's number, which was confusing – so she hadn't replied. Most of all she just felt miserable. She worked hard during the day, hitting targets in the danger room until she was covered in sweat, but then sleep didn't come even when she was exhausted. There were only islands of sleep, few minutes at a time, maybe half an hour, peppered with gruesome dreams that made her scream.

The worst of it all was when she texted Remy. She was lying on the floor at 4 AM, a little tipsy and swaying her legs nervously, pulling on her hair with frustration.

She wrote –"I miss you." Which was a truth. She missed him, because for years he was all she knew. Because he understood. Because _he knew_ who she was. He liked who she was, occasionally. He was her dreamboat, only it had already crushed upon a sandbank and left stranded – then sank for good. And there was no good in texting him- she understood.

Remy was calling back immediately- probably thinking she was ready to take him back now- she wasn't. It wasn't about that. She silenced her phone, wrapped it in a pillowcase and stuffed it in a drawer. It was time to get sleeping pills again. Jean was a bitch, but she would allow her the pills if she believed they would keep her away from Loki and other regretful memories.

She would go and beg Jean for them in the morning. All she had to do was wait for it to come, which wasn't as easy as it sounded. She gulped down a couple of beers and curled at the foot of her bed, knowing that Remy was still reaching out for her. Going to visit him wasn't the right choice. Texting him was sordid. She hoped he wouldn't come physically to seek her. Or maybe she did.

*

No one disturbed Rogue in her ascetic exile of choice, when she did not turn up for her training on the fourth day. She woke hours after it was finished, anxious and on the floor, clutching a shoe. She tasted the spit in her mouth that was dry and worked her stiffened jaw until it slid back into place. She cursed as she detached from the scruffy carpet- she was a disaster. Clambering to her feet she headed for the clinic, wearing black leggings, a torn white T-shirt so ragged that the printing on it was unreadable and it was almost see-through, and her gloves. She minded not who will see her at her state, because nothing mattered. And if Jean refused her, she would just leave the asylum and stay with Remy and his wife. The three of them together, yes, yes, they would keep her in the cellar. Because she was nothing but a slut. She opened the clinic door without knocking. Jean, who was wearing her scrubs and glasses raised her head from the computer when she entered- wobbly and sleep deprived.

"Oh, Hi there." She said –"How are you feeling?"

"Drop the pretense." Said Rogue –"I need some sleeping pills. I can't sleep. Xavier gave me a prescription back then. I need it again."

"Well, you very well know I can't give them to you." Answered Jean and lowered her glasses.

"Why the fuck not!?" cried Rogue.

"Because you are unstable." Said Jean, and she couldn't have made it sound more mean.

"You are such a bitch." Said Rogue –"We have been fighting next to each other for ten years, I've saved your stupid ass more than a hundred times! Why are you acting like this!?"

"See? That's exactly what I mean." Said Jean and put her glasses back on, allegedly focusing on the computer screen.

Rogue's eyes were roving around the room now, reading the many labels on the many bottles and little boxes, perhaps planning an outcoming attack, or a future robbery, when finally her eyes landed on a bed, and a body in it, slumped on his stomach, head buried in the pillow and shirtless. His dark hair covering the features of his face and the ivory skin of his back bruised and torn and criss-crossed with lines, the colour of dried blood.

"Is… is it Loki?" said Rogue, forgetting about her sleeping pills and recognizing the familiar striking shape- now ruined and hacked  –"What happened??"

"Ah," said Jean, obviously gloating –"Our prince forgot that he was in his human form in his last practice, tried something dangerous, got thrown off the horse, and then the horse backed and stomped on him. Broke four of his ribs, missed his neck by chance."

Jean was typing into the computer.

"Did you…. Are you giving him something for the pain?" asked Rogue.

"Of course." Said Jean angrily –"What do you take me for? A monster?"

"No, you are highly professional."

"But he does need his balm, which he will not have me put on him." Kept Jean, and now it was the doctor in her talking, always wanting to save her patients, and to be the best, and Rogue held onto that.

"Balm?" she asked, fluttering her eyelids over a tearstained face.

"Yes." Replied Jean dryly –"What? You wanna give it a go, sex-slave? Be my guest. He will kick you off. He's too proud. Doesn't want to be tended to."

"Okay." Said Rogue and reached out her hand –"Can I try?"

Jean rolled her eyes and pulled out a drawer open, took out a round plastic container from it and handed it to Rogue –"Should speed up the healing of the bones, and wounds also. By ten times. It's hormones. Not very healthy for the human body, but he's not entirely human, is he?"

"I guess not." Rogue took the container and approached the bed, on which Loki was spread. She hardly believed Jean had given her that chance, but perhaps keeping Loki alive and well was more important than tormenting the both of them. Rogue pulled a chair and she first sat next to him, then she put her gloved hand in his tangled hair, brushing it away from his face. Seeing him, just seeing him pleased her, albeit his state –"Locks…" she whispered with compassion –"Hey, Sugar, wake up. Open your eyes." He flinched firstly, but then gave her a look of recognition as he turned his head and actually *relaxed* under her touch as she kept stroking his hair.

"Mutant, I am broken." He said. –"This human form cannot take… the hooves, it appears. What are you doing here?" Loki was obviously trying to keep himself calm, but his face was tense and sweating.

"Naaahhh, don't move." Warned Rogue.

"And then, if I wouldn't, how will I feast my eyes on you?" replied Loki, tried to rise to his elbows, and crashed back on the bed, grunting –"You like seeing me like this?"

"Nope." Rogue shook her head –"It's not very flattering."

"Then Why. Have you come here." He spat into the pillow, unable to move his head sideways for the pain.

"Honestly, I just needed my pills, since I haven't been getting any sleep lately, but Jean wasn't in a generous mood. And then I saw you and I was thinking… I didn't know you had an accident. Would you let me put this balm on your wounds?" she showed him the container –"It will speed up the process by ten times."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw how Jean's jaw dropped when Loki said "Yes. Thank you."

*

Jean had tried to persuade him like a million times in the past two days, and he refused her. Was this what he wanted? Was he waiting for Rogue to shine through all along? Jean couldn't say, she didn't know, but it was dead clear how Loki would accept the treatment from Rogue, and not from her. Rogue took a spoonful of the ointment with her finger, touched carefully to the first wound on his neck, and Loki gave a little sigh. She stopped, until he said –"Okay, go on." Rogue rubbed the goo against the wound, sinking it in –"okay?" she asked.

*

"Yes, t'is fine." Said Loki, trying to keep it cool, but pain and pleasure was always his favorite cocktail, and as her careful finger touched breezily at the open wound on the back of his neck, the ointment numbing the tenderness of it, stopping the searing burn, he let out a moan of relief.

"Okay?" asked Rogue again, uncertain.

"Yes." Came his impatient answer. He hated being at someone else's mercy, and yet his body was more than grateful, it was drinking the attention like a liquid drug. Memories of his many times at the healing chamber, back home, flooded his consciousness. However, it used to require much more than falling off a damn horse to send him over there, and the Asgardian healers were definitely much quicker and more efficient than this.

"Ah!" he cried out when Rogue was touching the second wound- a deep ugly slash between his shoulder blades, created by a nail in the horse's hoof, as he stumbled over Loki after he fell face-down, and lost his balance. Midgardian horses were poor in delivery indeed, and Loki knew he was lucky to be alive. It made him angry.

"Sorry?" said Rogue and immediately withdrew –"not okay, I guess." But Loki was by now too pissed to care. He reached back with his hand and grabbed her wrist, almost painfully. Breathless, he said –"Do not ask me again, Mutant, and do not stop unless I tell you to. Got it?"

"Oookay." Said Rogue flatly. A shiver went down her spine, as he released her, finger by finger, like a clutching corpse, cold and rigid to the touch- but she did not want Jean to see it, nevertheless Jean did.

"If he is being so unpleasant, you might as well leave him to suffer." Said Jean.

"It's fine, he's just in pain." Answered Rogue.

Loki swore under his breath, and Rogue continued attending his wounds. This time she did not stop when he twitched, and she did not stop when he grunted, and she did not stop when he cringed until all of his wounds were covered securely with the bright wet shine of the ointment, and his breathing was even. He collapsed into the mattress, clearly exhausted.

Rogue removed her hand from his back. He really was a delightful sight after all, beyond the bruises and torn skin, his figure was lengthy, and his muscles were flexible and beautifully chiseled, like an animal's. They were inviting a touch that was not a healing one, and inviting a fight, drawing fire.

"All good, Locks?"

"No." said Loki and grabbed her wrist once again –"I am aroused now." He whispered in a voice so low that only she could hear.

"Oh." Said she and giggled as she would at his advances by now, for they were so blunt and silly. She allowed him to pull her hand back towards him, until it was next to his face, then he tugged more, shoving her hand under his body, under his chest, where his heart was pounding. Rogue felt a sparkle of excitement in her stomach, climbing through her neck and arresting under her tongue, pressing her to speak back, but she wouldn’t. Finally, she wanted this strange man. Finally, she admitted it to herself, and all of a sudden Remy did not play a part in this flirt. It was just her and Loki.

"I'm not the only broken thing." He hissed.

"Yeah, I know. Your room, and all of your stuff, and everything you touch-"

"No." he huffed with an effort –"I got the horse to step on the tracker. It's history."

"The horse!?"

"Shhh, quiet now. Tell you all about it when we're alone."

"But will we ever…?" started Rogue, unbelieving.

"If you won't stop me, then no one will." He said. His voice was cool and theatrical, it had a quality, she now noticed, perhaps a sort of magic. It made the tips of her fingers tingle with expectation, locked under his body as they were. But they cannot, it is stupid, really. Her powers are mostly so treacherous. They would kill this opportunity, and this, what they have now- this is all there is to it.

"The bitch will not allow it." Said Rogue –"She will throw me out in two minutes tops."

"Most probably." Answered Loki, his tone so bored that the contrast of it with his next sentence truly found Rogue unprepared –"But when I have my powers back, when I have my magic back, I will see you, Rogue. And I will snap you like a toothpick." He cuddled her hand, under him, with his. Yet another paradox. Such a sweet touch, such filthy words.

Again, the dark prophesies, the warnings she had been given about the Asgardian crossed her mind, and were cast like old shoes, to the corner of her logic , dismissed, in the presence of tangible seduction.  

"But you can't even move. Maybe I will break you." Rogue found herself saying back to him, teasingly. Loki smirked.

"You doubt me?" he asked.

"'Course I do." She said casually –"You can't even keep yourself on the back of a horse. How on earth would you handle a southern hussy."  

"One step at a time." Said Loki. This really threw off her mind. He felt her shudder, running through her hand and Loki chuckled lowly, clearly liking the response he was able to draw from her. He pulled her hand from under him and planted a deep kiss, right to the middle of her palm, over the glove.

"Don't do that." She said, on the verge of fright.

"I believe I just did."

"Yes, but I mean, in the future- " she rubbed her hand over her leggings, as if trying to erase the kiss.

"In the future I will ask you why not, and regardless of your answer, I will kiss you. Wherever I want. Whenever I want. Because you like it. " he said, his voice placid and his eyes almost closed –"But now I believe our time is up-" he gestured with his chin towards the back, and when Rogue turned she could see Jean standing there.

"Are you two quite done?" she asked.

"Yeah." Said Rogue and rose to her feet.

"Not quite." Said Loki –"There is still a strain in my neck, I think massage could do the trick-"

"Shut up." Said Jean sternly –"You are our prisoner. Or maybe you have forgotten?"

"Ah, right. Right. Prisoner." Said Loki –"All work and no fun." He crashed into the mattress once more, but this time he grinded his hips ever so slightly against the sheets in quite an  obscene manner.

"You're disgusting" Said Jean, but Rogue was laughing softly.

*


	24. I Wanna Be Your Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First part of Loki and Rogue's first full sex session, and Loki's being a dog (figuratively)- but that's why we love him. taken me ages to edit. soz.

_I hear the whispers, baby, if what they say is true_  
 _They say I killed the brother to fall in love with you_  
 _These words I heard them once before, A conversation I believe_  
 _How does a man begin to fall, when he does practice to deceive?_  
 _There was a voice behind my back, His face I could not see it clear_  
 _The voice was so familiar, though- I knew my enemy was near_  
  
**_You want the dog? I'll let him out_**  
 ** _Come and get some baby_**

**_[Afghan Whigs]_ **

"If you're not careful, Lockster, you'll also end up in a wheelchair." Said Angel worriedly. They were in the birdman's room sometime after sundown, and the wind howled and battered against the window frame. The blonde's cheerful voice came from inside his closet, where he was scrabbling through his clothes – throwing this and that item at Loki every once in a while.

"Here, you can have this jacket also." – The green leather jacket hit Loki right in the face, and he hurried to pick it up and throw it back at Angel.

"What? I thought this was your colour." Angel turned to him, his face crinkly with bafflement.

"All of your clothes are super-sized." Muttered Loki and spun in the rolling chair with annoyance, although the motion still hurt his ribs and pressured his lungs.

"You know what they say is also supersized? Since that night?" teased Angel and laughed freely at his own joke, throwing his gorgeous head backwards and flapping his wings merrily.

Loki couldn't help but smile –"Whose been saying it?"

"Errm… I think Jean told Storm and Bobby overheard it then told me. I mean, honestly he just came and asked me if I've seen your dick and was it really that big."

"And what was your reply?" Loki was curious.

"Oh, I said that it was a trick of the moonlight."

"Hahaha."

"I still can't believe Jean walked in on you guys. That was mean and ugly. Used to think she was this cool person, you know? I even had a thing for her, at some point. But I guess being stuck in this mansion with just a handful of people does that to you."

"A thing for _Jean_?" Loki sneered –"Did you have a death wish?"

Angel shrugged –"I just fancied her. We kissed a couple of times, is all."

"Then I guess we should all be grateful for the fact your tongue is still intact."

"Haha, yeah." Agreed the Angel -"So what do you think?" he was holding a white sweater under his neck –"Does it flatter my complexion or make me look pale?"

"I couldn't care less." Blurted Loki with boredom –"And where are we going, anyways?"

"We?" Angel blushed immediately, then took a seat on the edge of the bed in front of Loki and patted him on the knee –"Dude. I'm off to see Candice… sorry."

"Toaster-Girl." sputtered Loki darkly –"Yes, I remember. So what is so unique about this human female that makes you so keen to see her repeatedly?"

"Dunno." Shrugged the birdman –"I guess she's just real sweet. Hey, will you help me out with som'ing?"

Loki sighed reluctantly which Angel took as a yes, as was his nature. He placed a plastic bottle with a pump in Loki's hand and turned his back to him, spreading his enormous wings –"Just spray it on my feathers. I'm having a tough time reaching the upper ones- it's a bitch."

"What is it?" inquired Loki.

"A bitch." Repeated Angel –"It's like when something isn't cool. Like, when it's a hassle-"

"I mean the _substance_."  Spat Loki impatiently, because the Angel was sometimes close to stupidity.

"Ohhh, it's a kind of wax. To keep the water off." Explained Warren, but then Loki already sprayed him abundantly with hasty and unpredictable wads of the thick fluid, and droplets of it were running down the majestic feathers and streaming to the bed sheets, staining them.  

"Heeeyyy, easy!" Angel called out –"I don't need that much, Jeez!"

"My apologies." Without being asked, Loki started rubbing the slick into the beautiful white wings, watching it toughen and glisten over the neat rows of plumage. –"So what do you need it for?"

"Oh, I was going to take Candice for a romantic flight in the rain." Replied Angel, his shoulders slumping a little over his wings, reacting to Loki's touch without even noticing.

"She knows about your wings?" wondered Loki, but the answer held no interest for him. He twisted his fingers into the density of the feathers, massaging the skin and bone underneath. Angel's neck bowed slowly and gradually until his nose almost touched his chest, and without seeing his face Loki knew he was closing his eyes. The room was clouded with the vanilla sickly scent of the tallow, but Angel's body odor shone beyond that.

"'Course she knows." He replied with an effort, but his voice was drowsy and his brain was seeking words for longer and longer silent periods –"We were stark naked."

"Mmhmm." Loki listened.

"The humans… they… ah- seem to hate us mutants, but in the bedroom they can be extremely tolerant."

"Aha." Loki moved from the chair to the bed, swiveling closer to Angel so he was able to work on his neck once he was done with the feathers. There was no protest from the birdman who tucked his wings together and granted Loki a lovely lavish moan.

It was then when Loki stopped with a tinge of fright in his heart of coal. Because there it was- so easy. He was going to lay Angel down and take him – gently and tenderly – but it would have been more reprobate than even breaking Kitty. And moreover, he would be killing Angel's blossoming romance. Why would he want to do that, when this mutant guy gave him comfort and friendship? On top of everything, it wasn't even what he desired- it was Rogue that he had longed for- he only willed to conquer the birdman out of the sheer black bile oscillating in his marrow and corrupting him to the core. Loki felt his eyes prickling with the hint of tears and let go of Angel's neck, repulsed by his own self.

"Jee, thanks!" said Angel at that moment and turned to look at him, beaming –"You're a natural!" and then he got up and the idea of him hugging the pillow as he was languidly penetrated was lost forever.

"You gonna see Rogue tonight? Should I fix your tracker?" offered Warren as he was spraying himself with deodorant and checking himself in the mirror, that was also oversized.

"Ti's broken." Said Loki dryly –"I got the horse to step on it. Doesn't work anymore at all."

"Haha! Are you _serious_!? How come nobody noticed? Lockster, you're a freakin' genius!" Angel was so happy about it that Loki felt perhaps he needed to be thrilled as well, only he wasn't. "Why are you so sulky?"

"Just a matter of time." Emitted Loki –"I was at the clinic for a few days, so I presume Jean didn't need to check where I was. And then maybe she's more busy now with tracking Rogue, means I'm off the hook for a while. Who knows."

"Then go get her?" said Angel, his hand on his shoulder, warm and encouraging –"Have you mentioned the collar to her yet?"

"I haven't." admitted Loki and he was biting his own lips –"This woman requires a little bit of trickery."

"Then she has come to the right man, hasn't she?" Angel patted him on his back firmly "C'mon, Lockster! You're a _God_ from Asgard."

"I am a prisoner."

"Feeling sorry for ourselves, are we? All I see is a free handsome Asgardian with a faulty tracker." Angel ruffled his hair kindly and then opened a drawer and took out his straps, attempting to click them tightly around his wings and broad back. Loki got to his feet unasked and assisted him with the task- careful not to touch him in an improper manner this time.

"When I come back in the morning," said Angel as he shimmied into his sweater –"I'm gonna call you, and I expect you not to pick up for being engaged in –"

"Pounding rigorously into her?" suggested Loki.

"Why do you have to make it sound like porn?"

"What's porn?" wondered the trickster, annoyed that he still had so much to learn.

"Gosh." Angel put on his winter coat and grabbed his car-keys –"Nevermind it. Oh, you know who else is coming back tomorrow? Xavier!"

"Oh, joy." Loki's disinterested tone crumbled Angel's optimism and his delicate face shadowed.

"You should be happy, tho, Lockster." He waved his finger at him –"The professor is fair. That's something we cannot say about Jean. Anyways, seeya soon!" he drew Loki into a manly hug that was loose –"Go see your chick, and wear something nice!"

Loki stared at the pile of clothes Angel left for him to use and decided to take his advice.

*

Rogue was surprised at how sympathetic Storm was during their mutual evening basketball practice. She seemed to have stopped judging her, even when she told her about texting Remy and _even_ when she couldn't help herself and mentioned her sexy time with Loki at the clinic earlier- minus the broken tracker. It felt just like the old days between them again, which was a tremendous relief- being accepted once more and having a true friend on the team for support. And about Jean… well, Xavier was going to be back from his trip in less than 24 hours and upon his return everything was hopefully gonna go back to normal again. She will have her sleeping pills and her sleep, and he will order to remove the stupid tracker from her ankle- which was ludicrous to begin with. Feeling slightly more refreshed, Rogue stepped into the bathroom and out of her training clothes and took a long shower. It's been three days since she had taken one, so the hot water was a real treat. She liked it almost boiling, just about one temperature away from burning off her skin. She indulged in it so that she almost fell asleep under the current, letting it gush over the back of her neck, her scalp, her shoulders, thinking of nothing, for a change. When she was finished, she wrapped a faded pink towel around her and headed for her room. Rogue closed the door behind her and settled in bed, opening her laptop, when her doorbell buzzed. A shot of fright made her heart flutter- for her nakedness and for her paranoia – it must be Jean who came to torment and to bully her one last time before Charles comes back; that would be the better option. The worst would be Remy calling. Oh, Christ.

"Who is this." She called out, voice hoarse.

"Your recovered patient." Came the answer- and it was Loki speaking. Rogue closed the laptop and jerked to her feet, because she didn't expect to see him so soon, especially under the tight supervision burdening both of them. Plus he could not have recovered that quickly, he must still be in pain.

"I'm not decent." She said, stepping closer to the door and touching the handle.

"Good." Said Loki distinctly- his tone had an effect on her by now- and it sent jounces of electricity through her nerves. She hasn't been touched in so long, and just the thought of him holding her as he did, stroking her even with barriers and filters between them, slaughtered her reason and her manners altogether. She pulled on the handle and with a held breath she opened the door to a crack.

Loki was there, and he was tilting his head for a peek inside –"May I come in?" he asked, bouncing a little on his feet.

"Okay." Said Rogue, looking averse and very much aware that there was just a towel around her body. She closed the door behind him as he walked in gleefully. He was wearing everyday clothes again- just a normal gray hoodie that seemed creamy and soft, and a pair of black jeans that were a tight fit for a change- unlike the previous huge ones that made him look like a teenager. Wherever he had gotten these clothes she did not know, but he was obviously comfortable in them as well as in the leather gloves covering his lanky fingers- a necessity, yes, but it made her nervous nonetheless. His dark hair still half-wet from a recent wash and tucked behind his ears and his face crisp. He examined the room, ceiling to floor, prior to stating –"Well, this is even poorer than before." as though he were an interior designer on a reality show.

Rogue frowned –"Fuck you."

"Why not?" asked Loki calmly and before she could form an answer, he gave her a stripping look and commented –"I am glad to see that your body is not as grubby as your mind, or your room."

"Well, I am _not_ glad to hear that your mouth still needs cleaning." She replied, chin up.

"Your saliva will do."

"It's off the menu."  Retorted Rogue –"How come Jean let you off your leash with a busted tracker."

Loki smirked "She didn't find my presence very entertaining. Too bad, some people just cannot appreciate quality when they come across it."

"A dog is still a dog, even if he is noble breed." Said Rogue, a playful current in her nasal voice despite her disquiet.

"Tsshhh! The flattery from your tongue. What have I done to deserve this?"

"You were disgusted by my room, and you just said it was a crummy cave creeping with rats and roaches."

"Have I?" Loki raised his sable eyebrows, amused –"I believe the correct term is a pig style."

He stepped closer –"But you are only trying to distract me, and that would not do. Now remove that foolish towel. It is in the way."

Rogue held her hands to the towel, bracing it to her body- it being her last line of defense for she had none otherwise –"In what way?"

"In whichever way you prefer." He suggested. She swallowed, hard. Here, he gave her the choice, supposedly, yet his darkening eyes implied something else entirely- that he was not going to let anything deter him this time, and her blowjob trick- that was meant to mitigate his unremitting lust- would not again last. He was gonna have all of it, but the remains of Remy kept delaying her decision- she floundered awkwardly- "What if I refuse?"

"Then you shall leave me no choice but to-"

"To what!?" she barked warningly.

"But to seduce you." He completed, his tone enticing and dripping with elegance. Not for the first time she had noticed how he was working his voice like some men did in the bedroom, for the same purposes. But in his case there was something more to it, a tint of the demonic; or moreover, it sounded like witchcraft. Rogue wasn't so sure anymore that Loki didn't own his wizarding skills at the moment, for the sound of his voice made her feel like she had to keep on her toes and at the same time fall fully into his arms.  ~This is only a flirt~ she told herself, and she was sinking into it, but when he closed the distance between them, a shadow flickered over her expression and she tensed, as if readying for battle.  

"No need to panic now." He raised his hands to remind her they were gloved–"T'is okay, I'm all covered up." A gesture, to assure her that he was safe from her, yes, but not that she was safe from him, and more and more she came to comprehend she had to watch over herself around his presence. He already got her tracked and humiliated- even if not by his own hand.

"We are safe, Marie." He said. _No, no. We aren't._

Rogue stared at his gloves for a long while. Then at his face, like an investigator searching for clues -through his green eyes, the big nose, the thin line of his mouth- and coming up with nothing. He might just be the wickedest brat of all the wicked brats of her history, if only because - 

"Afraid, are you?" he broke the silence, finally, stating the obvious. 

"No." said Rogue with a dry mouth– That was a lie. "I can easily-"

"I am very much familiar with what you can do to me. We have been through it, and it wasn't a box of chocolate. And now, will you let me take the lead?" He was trying to manipulate her with his voice again, but this time it didn't work for him. Taking the lead was something she could never allow anyone to do. Her powers were dangerous and deadly. She had to be alert, even with Remy… plus she felt so fragile all of a sudden, since he came in her room. She couldn't be trusted – and last time… last time was reckless. She let her passion overwhelm her, and now she was locked in this limbo of opportunities, and fake opportunities, and havoc.

"Let me ask you something." She crossed her hands on her chest, piercing him with a look, still gaining no hints.

"Yes, mutant?"

"Are you a _sadist_? Because I am beginning to think that you are."

"What makes you think that?" he asked casually.

"I dunno, Loki. Your tone, and your past…the things we did together… they were not just play, were they? and yes, I heard some stories about you, you can imagine. So… -" It was hard for her, asking this question, it was almost as if she was carving through concrete with her bare hands, for her heart was racing even more, and her face was the prettiest flamingo pink- she was sure.

"Oh my." Loki put his hand on his heart and laughed a little –"I did not see that coming- you've done your own research about me? What were your findings?"

"Don't avoid it, I asked you a simple question." She was now glaring at him –"Do you take pleasure in other people's suffering? Because if we're going to have sex-"

"Well." Loki started, utterly off-topic –"So you _can_ have sex."  

"Sure I can have-" Rogue broke off, but it was way too late.

"Oh." Said Loki thoughtfully –"I am glad we cleared that thing up."

Rogue blushed even more violently as he placed his hand on her side, over the towel, his weight there plain and unthreatening, but it got her juices flowing.

"It's only sex." He crooned and hovered over her neck "I'm awfully good at it…"

"But are you a sadist?" she tried to bring them back on track, but her knees were aiming to buckle.  

"You Midgardians and your love of labels…"  His voice was dragging –"everything needs to be defined and delineated – is that it? I enjoy it when my enemies go down, Mutant. How about you?"

"And your lovers?" she skipped over his counter-question as if it never came up, never made her think about the death toll of her foes. The death toll she had played a significant part in manifesting.

"I never kept any; you know that, yet you keep prodding. Careful, Marie, because when I start questioning you back it might give you a _clue_ of what it's like to be cornered." His breath on her skin was chilling and his hand moved from her side to the small of her back and pressed her against him, where his hard-on was lurking under his jeans like before. This was not the clue her detective attempts were searching for… Could he not see that she was cornered already?

"Let us do this in bed, shall we?"   

"Do what?"

"Converse. What else? I'll let you talk yourself to sleep, and then do what I came here to do which is much more interesting. And when I spread your legs and push inside you, you'll think it was nothing but a wet dream."

Rogue lowered her head and rested it against his chest –"Okay." She said, and Loki held her more securely in his embrace of reassurance and lecherous promises, and she was trembling because she was wet for the shower and wet for other things.

*


	25. Between a Rogue and A Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [part 2/3 of Rogue and Loki's first real sex] a long and tedious conversation leads to revelation, and the collar makes its first appearance.

_I want to hold the hand inside you_   
_I want to take the breath that's true_   
_I look to you and I see nothing_   
_I look to you to see the truth_

_You live your life, you go in shadows_   
_You'll come apart and you'll go black_   
_Some kind of night into your darkness_   
_Colors your eyes with what's not there_

**_[Mazzy Star]_ **

 

As they got into her bed together with a collection of other random things such as bottles, books and used and unused clothes, Loki began to unwind, and his spirits were high. An invitation to bed, even if triggered by a pinch of his guidance was still an invitation to bed- that is, cause for celebration.

"Behold- The Barracks of Rogue." He kicked away the books of martial arts and French and an empty pizza tray –"Fully equipped, supplied to the brim. Come Ragnarök, she is prepared!" he declared with a crunched can in his hand, then tossed it over his shoulder– "And what have we got here in this cave of… wonders-?" he pulled a belt from under him and held it in front of his face, pondering momentarily –"I guess we can save that for later, she is currently infected with a garrulous mood."  

"What are you so happy about?"

"I was getting weary of standing." He said –"My back is still sore."

"My condolences." She said but her eyelids were heavy with desire. Loki had a thousand years of experience, and he could tell when he was wanted. This woman wanted him, for certain, but her soul was a tangle that needed a skilled hand pulling at the strings. No matter. He will manage.

"So are you a _sadist_ , Loki?" she asked for the third time, her tone serious. Her olive eyes bright and contrasting with the violet bed covers as she lay on her side, scanning his face once again.  

"Such a harsh word." He said and licked his lips –"I-"

"Loki. Do you want to _hurt_ me?" princess was surrounding herself with a canal swarming with crocodiles. _More and more barricades._ How was he supposed to get out of that one? Or get in, to be precise-

"Not precisely."

"That's hardly an answer, Loki."

_Goodness_. His cock would be wilting before she's done with him. She was going to talk him to death until there is nothing left to talk about but his eulogy. Stuck between a Rogue and a hard place, he raised one finger to stress his words –"Now, promise me you would not fret-"

"I can't promise you that." She replied.

"You are being very difficult." He admitted –"I never-"

"Okay, I get it, Sugar. In Asgard they see you and go 'Oh-My-God, It's Loki!', and they kiss your feet and throw their dresses to the wind. And if you touch them, they get so excited they might never wash a-"

"It is an _honor_ to be bedded by a God." He said quietly, simply –"Although I can sense that you meant to offend me."

"No... I wasn't." she said with a crooked mouth.

"Liar." Loki reached out and resumed his advances, this time with a trail he marked with his hand from her right shoulder to her palm. Once their fingers met, he took her palm in his and opened it with proficiency, then pressed the sensitive spot at the center with his thumb. He felt her shiver. _Told you I was good at it._ Complacent, and a little bit swooned, he tracked her glazing eyes with an ambitious stare, until she dropped hers, shyly. Trying to ignore his touch, but he felt her melting, especially when his silent grip turned into a peaceful caress, fumbling the delicate yet destructive bones he could easily snap– he was solid hard and wished to release himself from his clothes, but she was almost naked and it could not be.

"You enjoy talking immensely, I must say."

"There were times when it's all I had…" she admitted.

"I know." His touch squeezed lightly at palm. There was perspiration gathering at the rifts between her fingers- he gathered it with his thumb and used it to moisturize his up and down massage, making it sensual and slippery.

"I….ah…feel that I have to ask everything twice, at least." She commented, breathing heavily –"Do I have to _beg_ you to tell me about your lovers?"

"I cannot say I do not fancy a good old begging." He remarked, a smile colouring his angular face  –"And as far as I recall, I was the one begging to learn about your Remy and you've cruelly refused me time and again, so how is that fair?"

Rogue grimaced at the mention of Remy's name on his lips, but since talking was the only way he could get her to cooperate, he volunteered some information –"I told you already, Princess. I kept no lovers. I had only slaves, and maids, and them pets."

"And a pet would be your ideal mate?"

"For Valhalla's sake, woman." He was astonished by her persistence –"It is a terrible position to assume, they didn't wish for anything anymore." pieces of memory marred his mind with infamous visions of the sessions he formulated and initiated with his former pets, who were really vacant vessels with desolate eyes and voids instead of hearts–"They got attached, I guess. They used to love me. I presume…" he dazed a little –"My dear father thought this was a good idea. To send them to my chambers and turn me somewhat tolerable, as I was-"

"What were you?"

" _Brutal_."

Rogue gulped –"How brutal, Loki?" her eyes dropped to her hand, wrapped in his. It was time to make the crocodiles sleep, because she was about to run away from him. Having the wisdom of bodily secrets passed on to him by the wanton healers of Asgard, he knew all about the furtive points concealed in a palm- and what they could instigate once awakened.  He located the tiny patch in her palm that was related to her clit and brushed his thumb swiftly over it.

Rogue's breath went still.

"You do not need to know." He stroked her hair soothingly with his other hand, pretending to never notice how his touch eroded her  –"It was a different life on a different planet. And pets… they are not a lot of fun when you think of the maintenance. You need to take care of them, like you would with a child. It isn't worth it…, so please, Mutant. Let us stop talking about it."

"What did you do to them…?"  

"Well. I did all that was necessary to make them obedient." He choked on his own words. The mutant was terribly curious, he had to find a way to shut down her brain before he revealed any more incriminating specifics that will drive her over the moon. He touched his thumb to the notorious spot once more, but it failed to stagger her willpower. The woman was resilient, and she was a warrior.

"What does that mean." She inquired.  

"Well." Loki took his time with the answer, but Rogue just couldn’t wait. She shifted, broke from his hold and suddenly she was on top of him, pinning him down by his arms, sitting on his lap and her face close. Loki made no attempts to release himself –"Gritty girl." He said, his eyes glowing at her. –"And impatient. Being so rash will not do you any good, Rogue. Hasn't life taught you that lesson already?"

"What did you _do_ to them?"

Loki let his tongue out, wetting his lips before replying –"I saw to their needs." He kept evading the interrogation, his eyes focused on hers –"What type of answer are you looking for exactly? I see you are displeased."

"Did you, or did you not, cause them pain?"

"Yes." He drawled.  

Rogue's eyes went wide until her pupils almost chased away all the colour from them, and her grip on his wrists weakened. He took that as a positive sign.

"I didn't kill anyone… "he added, as if apologizing –"but the promise was there."

"How can you be so freakin' casual about it, when you've treated---"

"Slaves. They were _slaves_. Not girlfriends."

"That's not the point!"

"Indeed." Emitted Loki, finding her eyes and deciding to go with the truth –"I am a devilish spirit, a wicked wizard, a soulless spook"- his father named him –"master of mischief, creator of chaos, prince of puss-" Angel named him –"And many other complimentary titles. Sometimes, the moans of pain are music to my ears. Sometimes, I enjoy making my partners scream and squirm. Yes. I am everything they told you, Marie. Will you still have me?"

That was the bottom line, this was _the bottom of things_. He flexed his fingers under her hold as if trying to catch a memory, his face tranquil due to the surprising relief. Liberated from lies and deceit, his tongue and his mind were at an eerie ease. He no longer cared for what she would say to it, but finally Rogue did not speak.

"Alright." He broke the silence after a long while in which she was frozen like the planes of Jötunheim –"Then kick me or kiss me. Or are you going to maintain this position 'till dawn? Or merely until Jean comes in."

"I haven't decided yet." Said Rogue and both of them chuckled at the bitterness in her voice.

"I haven't given you any reason to fear me." He remarked.

"You just did right now." She argued. And then again, behind the fuzz of intimacy and intimidation she seemed to be searching for logical excuses to stop him from taking her. However, all the truths his tongue offered unwillingly were not enough to have her give up on him. That was a truth. Loki was able to read the conflict on her face, and he quietly coaxed –"Come here."

"Why?"

"Because you want it, stop resisting."

Another moment of hesitation, and she had released his wrists and eased her body on top of his, resting her head on his chest, so that her face wouldn't touch his accidentally.

_A little rest. Yes, but it isn't over yet. This woman was hard to get._

"Uhhm." Loki adjusted beneath her cozily and enveloped her with one arm, the other one resumed the long stroking and loved how she responded to the touch by nuances in her breathing pattern. Too proud to vocalize her sensations, for certain.

"You are ashamed of liking me"

"No."

"Confused?"

"Yes."

"Don't be, because it matters not."

"You didn't share any of the details-" she mentioned

"What details, Darling?"

"Did you tie them up?"

"Yes." He replied, another tiny change in her breathing, just lovely.

"Did you… whip them?"

"Yes"

"Gag them? –"

"I relish the sounds, but sometimes the screaming was too loud, so it was mandatory."  

"Oh." Rogue was restless again. If he was taming an amateur pet, she would have been all tied and gagged and whipped and restrained by now- that could have helped her _relax_. She would have been too exhausted and demolished to even dream about ever speaking again, let alone ask him questions.  

"What did your magic do to them?"

Loki's chest shuddered as he laughed dryly, out of lassitude, more than anything –"You are not a child, Rogue. Cease this charade of naivety. They were sent to me to quench my desires, I am certain you know what that means- and I used them, in the most practical sense of the word. And as my desires are ever-changing, so was the treatment I gave them." He circled her earlobe with a delicate finger –"You cannot comprehend, how they were meant for it. Trained for it. They didn't expect anything else when they came to me… does that answer your endless train of questions?"

"No." said Rogue, pouting without noticing it, and tilting her head sideways, her eyes glazing, as if lost in thought.

"Right. Then since you would not let me in, how do we put you to sleep and stop the chattering?"

"Not by torture."

"No, I did not think so." His hand was moving from her ear to the back of her neck, sliding her hair and Remy's locket carefully away and focusing on one narrow square, massaging it right where it felt really tense under his fingers. His other hand crawled beneath the thin towel and glided around the bend of her ass until it was nudging her legs apart.

Rogue gasped, looking at him marvelously, bewilderingly and on the edge of fright- because she did not see it coming.  –"No, Loki."

Oh, there she was. _Finally._ And he had her, and it was beautiful. He will stop at nothing, if she wouldn't manage to stop.  

"Now, let us settle this once and for all." His voice, authoritative, confident –"You shall not use the word 'no' again, unless you truly mean it. You can use _'Yes, Loki'_ , or just _'Yes'_." His middle finger located its destiny and teased her entrance with a tip and a knuckle. His glove made it impossible for him to feel anything, but the smoothness with which he could venture assured him she was ready for him. Physically, at the very least.

"Wait… wait… Loki-" she started, her olive eyes beautiful and damp, and almost pleading, but he was done listening to her strife. With one hand holding her in place, he drove his middle finger into her and stroked her from inside. Rogue's head dropped immediately back to his chest and her hands were clutching his shoulders.

"You were saying?" not expecting a reply, he added another finger, and his strokes were turning into lagging thrusts. It had got him no moans, only exhales and fingernails digging into his flesh which made him believe she was embarrassed. However, once she adjusted to the sluggish pace he was carrying and got over the initial shock, Rogue started to answer him with little movements of her own, mostly riding shyly the bulge of his raw erection. Clearly, the mutant needed more time to get comfortable, but his body wasn't that patient anymore.

"I am going to turn you over and rip off that towel, Marie." His cock was talking –"Then I will fuck you with my hand until you're an utter mess. Just like your room."

This was a wrong move for she had stiffened again, only her inner muscles kept twitching around his fingers as if her body was desperately trying to drag him deeper, but the vampires of vacillation were controlling the rest of her.

Loki halted the fingering and focused on stroking her nape instead, wishing for her to settle. Females were frightened by nature, but something more abyssal than his sheer virility or even his sadism had gotten her unnerved and it needed unfurling. "Everyone calls you by libidinous names." He commented with wonder –"a tart and a hussy and a slut… you've jumped me twice, and you've sucked me off like a harlot-  I could sense it, despite the rubber thing – I was impressed, to be honest. I do not care how many men you're been with-" he said wholeheartedly –"Yet you are so coy and reserved with me this night. As if you were never taken by a man before. What is wrong?"

"Nothing." She sounded as though she were about to cry.

"Rogue." He said softly, then he moved backwards and kneeled to the foot of the bed, next to an empty soda can and her abandoned phone, that flashed soundlessly. Not a fit position for a prince, and he was proud indeed, but then he also had to let her know that he was not patronizing her. It was never about that. "I am begging you-" he said, out of instinct " _I am begging you_." He repeated –"to let me take the lead tonight."

~to trust me~ he thought, but he would never say that, because he couldn't even trust himself and he was prone to disappoint her if this was an ongoing thing, but for the moment-

He placed his hand over her naked ankle, just above the tracker –"Please, Marie. Hand over the control, because that is what makes you suffer most of all. Not me."

Slowly, she rose to her elbows, and slowly, she sat up straight, his hand still on her leg. She reached over to the fragile tie of the towel under her armpit and released it. The towel flowed down like honey, and there was her body: fully exposed and _human_ and soft and hard and strong and illustrious and painted with scars.

Loki hummed.

"There should be a metal collar in the third drawer from the top, just to your right." Said she –"Mind getting it?"

*


	26. Collar me your Collar, Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short one, but this is only sex, dark sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a dirty minded slattered author. what can i do. This is the one I am happiest with so far :)

_Lay where you're laying_  
_Don't make a sound_  
_I know they're watching_  
_Soft lips are open_  
_Them knuckles are pale_  
_Feels like you're dying_  
_You're dying_

_You_  
_Your sex is on fire_  
_Consumed_  
_With what's to transpire_

_**[Kings of Leon]** _

"There should be a metal **_collar_** in the third drawer from the top, just to your right." Said she –"Mind getting it?"

Loki had to swallow down because his stomach jumped abruptly to his chest and nearly clogged his airways, prompted only by that little word that meant so much: a **_collar_**. His hand flew instinctively to his own neck.

"A collar?" He uttered with all the composure he could gather- which was not that much, because his dick thought it was his crowning day and was raving in its den. –"Are you going to bind me?" he wouldn't look her in the eyes for on that rare occasion he knew his face was flushed; So, he got up and turned away, towards the chest of drawers. He noticed that his hand was shaking frantically as he counted three from the top and extended his hand to grab the knob. It has been ages since he had such a golden opportunity dropped at his feet from a benevolent sky. He was-

"Really." Said Rogue in scorn –"Mr. God-of-Lies. You mean to tell me that you didn't know about it?"

"Pardon me?" Loki regretfully let go of the knob and turned back to the mutant, heart thumping. For once he was almost ashamed as he measured her, sitting on her ankles and completely stripped.

"Yes, pardon you, for lying. You mean to tell me your angelic wingman never told you anything about my collar?" took Loki a second or two to realise she was not the least angry. Just entertained.

"Yes." Said Loki and swallowed again, nodding minutely –"Now that you've mentioned it, he said something. Maybe…."

"He's a blabbermouth." Rogue offered a skewed smile.

"Yes, yes. That he is." Loki agreed.

"Well?"

"Well. Oh, yes, right." Loki coughed, late again to understand what he was supposed to do. Working his brain with an unbending hard-on proved itself to be a mission impossible. He opened the drawer and lifted the plastic bag with the unknown content he found there – to locate the collar just under. It was a disappointment: rather delicate and metallic with a dull silver colour and dotted with little bumps that seemed to be faded buttons. _What do these do?_ Loki loved collars and he would sometimes decorate his various slaves with them, but he preferred them leather and heavy and uncomfortable, while this one was only as thick as his forefinger. _This isn't a collar, t'is an instrument._

He picked up the gadget and went back to the bed, taking a seat next to Rogue and handing it to her. However disappointing the thing was, he was still curious to find out how it's used and what it does.

"So." Said Rogue in a practical tone as she pushed one of the invisible buttons and the collar buzzed lightly and opened –"As you _already know_ , this was created for me by Xavier. Angel probably told you it was for sex, but it really wasn't- it was a gift. When I first came here I was a teenager, my powers were like tsunami and they controlled me- made me almost kill my boyfriend at the time. I was rather miserable, as you can imagine. Charles was always optimistic about me, thought he could teach me how to own my powers and… _embrace_ them." She scowled, but Loki was listening attentively. He never heard her talk in such a manner before- no masks, no games, no clothes… but the latter was beside the point. And he was fascinated by her words, and by the collar that she now humbly slid over her neck- just above Remy's cursed chain- where it wrapped around her on its own volition like a snake and clicked into place. A perfect fit, perhaps a little too perfect for it was flush against the flesh and Loki wondered if it was irritating her.

"So," she continued –"when the Professor got his hands on one of the government collars that were designed to suppress mutant powers so they could be imprisoned and controlled, not to mention _murdered_ \-  he made a few adjustments and gave me this. I… can control how much it controls me. It's cool, really. It flashes red to show that I am utterly shut down- that is, just a normal human being, and green to show that the collar is disabled. I can shift its volume of constraint, so any colour in between means that my powers are moderated to an extent."

"Alright." Muttered the trickster and his voice was raspy, and he could not remove his eyes from the instrument that glowed bluntly against her pearly skin.

"Initially I thought it would be better if it shone red when my powers were actually active, but-"

"Enough talk." Said Loki and it came out sounding like an order, because his judgement was blurry and his mind opaque. –"Turn it on, mutant, or I will ravish you regardless."

"Okay." Rogue pushed a button to the right of the collar, and a tiny red dot flickered at the center of it. A tiny red dot was the last thing Loki saw clearly before he lunged at her like mountain lion and locked their lips hungrily. Rogue gave a stifled moan of surprise that he never heard, only felt it droning in his mouth. He was so loaded he feared he might burst into a supernova and his sticky remains would have to be scratched from the ceiling with a spatula. Flaming with carnality he pushed her down hard without breaking his kiss of doom, working himself out of his Midgard clothes with ardor, his movements impatient and sharp. The rougher he kissed her, the greedier he got, and he consumed her lips with an ever-growing celerity, swiping and crushing against the tenderness, prodding her wordlessly to part for him. His eyes were wide open all along but he saw nothing; and if there were any sounds of objection they fell on deaf ears. Once he was fully naked Loki pressed their bodies together with such force he could feel the mattress dipping under the stress, for there was not enough comfort, not enough relief in the skin-on-skin, and not enough of anything. The sudden infinite number of possibilities was confusing and he could not decide what to do first- tongue her? Strangle her? Get her to climax, or simply just shove his sore cock inside and earn a few minutes of serenity.

Rogue's hands were hugging his chest- he never noticed when she managed to do that in the process- and the pads of her fingers were pulsing against his wounded back. A squeeze when he made a coarse move and a caress when he was a tad more lenient. The broken pattern of squeezes and skims on his injuries added a layer of pleasant pain to the already tempestuous mix, and he knew for certain he was not going to be able to endure this much longer, not even a little longer. He could hardly breathe at all and his heart was hammering with a Mjölnir-like bang, his forehead on fire and his human skin so sweaty it felt as if it was liquifying. And his cock- his poor cock was stretched to the limit and indurate as a sword and pulling him towards water like a dowsing rod. And once the slick from between Rogue's legs touched the tip Loki knew he was done for. He could spill right now on her thigh, or right now inside her- but those were the two only options. Early ejaculation was indeed going to besmirch his reputation; nevertheless, having it happen to him without ever entering was a bit more staining- that was the last intelligible thought in the debris of his reason. He reached downwards with his left hand – the right one was holding Rogue's head firmly and keeping it immobile since the moment he started kissing her- grabbed his cock and lead it into her in one determined jab. It was better to rip off the band-aid than to listen to another oration of misgivings anyhow, and as he did so Rogue practically _screamed_ into his mouth and fought him, but he didn't release the kiss, he was in way too deep to care, even when her fingernails stabbed at his traumatized skin and a trickle of blood awoke from a healing wound and oozed lazily down his spine. He growled in reply and it was feral, then tightened his grip as he pushed all the way in, meeting resistance and ignoring it- he came with an incontrollable twitch, and drained inside the mutant in a few angry spurts, never letting go of her mouth.

Finally, a hazy calmness came about him and his kiss softened, also his hand, that he now dragged from her nape to her cheek and stroked with affection, humming temperately and now seeking her tongue with his. He was still hard and lodged in a warm and snug pit, but his passion was at bay only, for the time being. However-the kiss he wasn't going to let go of. Never in a million years, was he going to allow her lips to part from his. He was going to remain kissing until their mouths went numb and Jean would have to try sever them with an axe, and they wouldn't cease the kissing for eating or speaking, and they would stay like that until his appetite was satisfied, which could not be, so he would kiss her to exhaustion, then to death, and –

The mutant was sobbing.

Impulsively, unthinking, Loki cut off the kiss and looked down at the girl, seeing her for the first time since she clicked the collar to life. Her eyes were stained with tears and her mouth was crimson red- not with blood thankfully, but it was swollen by three times its original size. The sight was both hypnotizing and terrible, and a pang of guilt made his guts clench with tremor.

"Valhalla, what have I done." He whispered –"I was heedless, mutant. I am a monster." Heavily, he moved inside her, willing to withdraw and then ask for her forgiveness for the next millennia-

"No, no." muttered Rogue tiredly, placing her hand on his forearm, which was magic. "Don't, these are tears of passion. I… I got overly excited. Sorry."

"Are you quite sure, lady??" emitted Loki with disbelief, because the mutant was such a riddle. Appearing calm when she wasn't, then appearing distressed when she wasn't. Or wasn't she?

"Sure. I am sure." She affirmed and her fingers were in his hair, playing, giving him a little buzz –"It's just… I haven't done this in a really long while."

"Neither have I." admitted Loki and his hand was roving again, now reaching her breasts and encircling the right one, teasing a lonely nipple with his restless thumb, because he couldn't help himself although he already spilled once. His hunger was not gratified, and he was building up for another round.

"Have I hurt you, though?" he asked, staring at her cute face. Childishly, she pouted and said –"yes."

Loki's insides arose with a might unmatched, his spirit breached the clouds of his forbidden fantasies, to fly freely. The mutant wanted it. _She craved it, and he was going to give it to her._  His cock stiffened inside her with renewed energy as he leaned in for another kiss- an interlude- that was short and fluffy- his tongue was gathering strength. He will soon have to kiss for hours, and he will have to _speak_ again.

"Oh," he said with his lips hovering above hers –"It will hurt much more if I go on."

"I know."

"There will be more tears." He promised.

"I know that, too." Her eyes stared back, bravely.

"You want me to destroy you?" he wondered, still amazed.

"Someone has to do it…" said she –"it's written all over my face."

"Your answer is incorrect."

Rogue took her time with thinking, squirming as she did, both mentally and physically. He gave her a short push of encouragement, poking at her walls with his vigilant cock, for he was now confident and strong.

"Ah… yes, Loki." She mumbled and closed her eyes.

"Good girl."

*


	27. You Don't Own Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Rogue come to terms with their sick relationship, Angel is having second toughts about his.

 

_I don't wanna be your fucking dog_   
_That you drag around_   
_A collar on my neck tied to a pole_   
_Leave me in the freezing cold_

_**[Soccer Mommy]** _

 

She has been considering introducing the collar to their relationship for a long time, but so many factors entailed held her back, and on top of the list was Remy, and the memories of him; plus the fact that once she slept with someone else it would be declaring to herself and to the universe that she was done with him for all eternity. That was a hard thing to do, and even harder to handle with…But as she finally gave in and put on the collar, the sex with Loki was pretty much worth everything. She never imagined it could be so good, and since it was, she never thought she was going to get a moment of sleep that debut night, but after coming a dozen times by his naughty fingers and his cock and his licentious tongue she eventually dozed off, or perhaps fainted, wrung out and careless. When she awoke the blue fingers of dawn were painting the mattress and the walls, and it was raining heavily outside. A light breeze managed to sneak in through a secret crack and the frost of it was biting at her exposed skin. She wanted to reach for a blanket, when she noticed her wrists were secured to the bed posts. Startled, she opened her eyes to their fullest and completely freaked out, groaning and fighting her restraints that were leather and buckles- her belts! For fuck sakes. The man was a maniac.

A brief scan of the room assured her that she was alone in her shipwreck of a bed, which was even more startling. Did he abandon her there? All by herself? To be found naked and cold and utterly _humiliated_?!  Yes, cold. Perhaps the cold would get her first and there will be no need to explain. The picture was self-explanatory anyways. She thumped her head against the bedframe with frustration, and kicked into thin air, wanting to holler, but biting into her lips instead. Her lips ached. In fact, she ached all over, because Loki's lovemaking was ferocious and unkind. And yet… it _enthralled_ her. Not to say that Remy was plain or monotonous -god forbid- for his thing had been doing it in unorthodox places that were mostly public and unfit for their activities. For instance: the subway. And once they got caught doing it under the table of a local restaurant. And once they were doing it under a blanket in the living room as their fellow X-Men were watching a film on television. Bobby was the one to call them out, saying: " _Yikes_!" when he switched the light on for a moment to look for his slippers and found them humping- to which Remy only blurted _"Excusez Moi"_ as if nothing happened. But he was now gone, and so was the insane alien who disappeared, fled- perhaps back to his planet of godship where the maidens wear lint and their hair is the colour of rainbow and their pussies are made of dragonfly wings dipped in molasses. Or something- she really knew how to pick her lovers.

_Shit_.

A second examination of the room- and Rogue noticed the door was left ajar. Christ, did he do that on purpose? For what purpose?? _To get his revenge on Midgard,_ most probably. Or maybe he was punishing her exclusively. Uurggh. She was gonna… she was definitely gonna-

What was she gonna do? She had to think it through, first. The tracker? But then Jean would come, or Xavier, who should be back from his trip by now. She had to call someone. Someone friendly like Storm or Angel-

The door opened and Loki stepped in, in his trousers only. Her eyes grew in their sockets and she kicked into the mattress in a fit of rage –"You **_asshole_**!" she bellowed –"Untie me! Untie me NOW!, you sick fucker!"

"Shhh!!!" whispered Loki and hurried to the bed once he shut the door and locked it, first to get her to stop shouting, then to sooth her –"shhh." His hand was in her hair –"I didn't go anywhere."

"But you did. You bastard, I hate you!"

"No, you don’t." that was a truth. –"Relax, mutant. I only went to visit the bathroom to take in the ingenious arrangement of the tiles, because I appreciate fine art."

"What the fuck, Loki!?" Rogue fought her restraints yet again –"What the fuck is this about?"

"I needed to pee."

"God!" Rogue closed her eyes and fell back to the pillow, slightly relieved, then her anger reignited and she rose as far as her restraints allowed  –"Why did you tie me??" she glared into his eyes as he settled beside her, lying on his side and caressing her to the beat of the falling rain.

"Didn't want you to fall out of bed while you were sleeping."

And here, this was also weird, because her sleep was never that deep, and she hadn't a clue how he managed to do that without her feeling a thing. It was scary.

"This isn't funny."

"No, t'is not." He agreed as his other hand went to her belly, crawling upwards until it rested between her breasts –"Could be terribly dangerous-" he planted a kiss on her shoulder and his lips were cool –"90 percent of the deadliest accidents happen at home."

"I thought you'd left!" she said accusingly.

"I did. Then I came back to see how you were holding up."

"Seriously, Spaceboy. I can't even touch you like that…" Rogue huffed and turned her face away from his, for she sensed she was on the verge of tears.

"Ah, no, no. Don't sulk." He said in a velvet voice –"You've managed to go on for quite a while without touching me, is that not so?"

"Loki…"

"Yes, Mutant?"

"Dya reckon you might be a bit mental?"

"If you mean irrational, then yes. More than a bit." He lifted his hand from her chest and used it to cup her chin and turn her face back towards him. His eyes had the most striking greenish hue that seemed to be whirling incessantly around his irises. Her lips parted of their own accord. He chose this body and the magical effect it could evoke in others who stepped into his aura - she knew- although she had no idea how exactly it worked. Big eyes, expressive, that carried you far faraway if you stared. Rogue stared.

"Have you calmed down yet, Mutant?"

"No." huffed Rogue, and that was a lie. His hands on her and his words and his tone made her feel as if she were floating. The belts that kept her wrists in place were kinda nice, now that she wasn't alone, and even the collar didn't bug her that much anymore. The only discomfort was a revived amativeness that made her rub her thighs together.

"No?" wondered Loki, pressing her lower lip with his thumb. Rogue shifted and arched her head intently till she could take the thumb into her mouth- it was salty and she suckled on it cordially, swirling her tongue to tease it and to awe at its blank texture – for it was not imprinted, like wax, and still it was so addictive she really maintained she could fall asleep with that thumb in her mouth. Loki gazed at her approvingly and his chest heaved as he sighed- "Ah, tempting, vixen."

Then he took his thumb away, to her amazement and offence –

"But no."

"What?! You Bastard!" cried Rogue and her eyes were arrows.

"Yes, yes, I am." Admitted Loki –"but it's been an exciting night, and I've plans for the next. You will need your rest. That is why I've tied you up in the first place."

And then, all of a sudden, the whole thing made a twisted sense. They both had a schedule that was about to begin in less than two hours. They were both renegades who were chased down and tracked and humiliated… Loki just thought ahead. Yes, it was a good idea to tie her, because now that the collar played a part in this whole scenario, all that Rogue wanted was to touch and be touched. She wasn't thinking about sleeping that much.

Loki reached down to pull the blanket and covered both of their bodies up to their shoulders. The warmth was welcome, and so was the closeness. Rogue shuddered a little.

"Sleep, mutant." That was an order. His left hand hovered, then landed on the collar, gently. He was rubbing the skin above and below it idly, his motions frivolous and lulling. She thought it was meant to leave her high and dry and to torment, but when she opened her eyes, she could tell he was drifting into slumber in earnest. The stupid collar was really doing it for him. He was one freakish spaceboy indeed.

*

"Trackers?" said Professor Xavier thoughtfully to Jean. She was summoned to his study, and it was six in the morning. She hated that she needed to explain herself, and she hated his tranquility. Would have been better if he yelled at her, but then he never yelled.

"Yes." She replied firmly and crossed her arms, ignoring the tea he offered her a while ago, that was already cooling.

"Why would you need to be tracking the X-Men members, when you've been set to track so many other things? Do you have spare time on your hands, Jean?"

"No, I just thought it necessary. To keep the asylum safe from Loki." Said she.

"Our asylum is a much safer place when Loki is happy here, and Loki is apparently happy with our Rogue. But the question is… why does it make _you_ so unhappy?"

Jean flinched as though she were kicked in the back of her head. Xavier's forced "therapy sessions" were a known routine, but that didn't make them any easier to handle. She raised her chin –"We must keep on our toes with him, we must!"

"Yes." Agreed the Professor –"we sure must, but _he mustn't know that_."

The words cut through her like a razor. She knew she had been stupid, and that was not becoming. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head in front of her mentor –"I don't know what came onto me…"

"Jealousy?" offered Xavier and Jean cringed. Her red hair fell about her face. She was a mess.

Xavier wheeled around the table and found her hand. His was damp and frail, for he was an old man. Much older than he seemed. She almost wept at the gesture.

"You are _not_ a failure." He stressed –"this was only a test in which you failed, but it was one out of many. I hold you dear, Jean. You need to review your actions through an objective lens. Think, Jean. Why have you chosen to play the bully this time?"

"I wasn't a bully!"

"Yes, yes. You were." Said Charles, but he was not judgmental –"you've made people fear you and keep away from you. Why?"

"I don't know…" she was suddenly in tears –"I don't know, Professor…"

"You have forgotten what we were here for, and what we stand for, but you can remember, Miss Gray."

"Oh, goodness…" said she, shaking all over and wishing for Scott all of a sudden.

"Yes," encouraged Xavier –"That's it. Remember who you were. Remember who you _are_ , remember, why you came here."

Jean cried.

*

"Leaving _again_?" said Candice, obviously displeased, as Angel was strapping his wings to his back and searching for his sweater. Her room was tiny, it was a dorm room, compact, with not enough space to stand or sit or walk around, but things still got lost in there. He finally located his sweater hanging on the lamp.

"I have to." Said he.

"Of course you have to. Will I ever live to see the light of day shining on your face, or is it just a nightly thing?"

"Candice." Said Angel painfully and moved back to the bed, resting a palm against her tanned cheek –"I am a _mutant_. I cannot be your boyfriend, I cannot see you parents, and I will not be there for you upcoming graduation. I am sorry."

"So you won't come?! Seriously!? Not even with wings strapped?! Not at all?!"

"Not at all." Said Warren, and kissed her, to take off the edge, but Candice slapped him –"then go! Go where you have to go! Fly out the window!!!"

Angel held his hand to where the slap still burned, on his cheek. He desperately wanted to do the right thing, but there was no right in this.

"Candice, I do like you."

"Oh, he likes me!" cried Candice, getting out of bed and slipping into her tiny dress, braless – "likes me, does he? Thanks very much, Warren. Out with you, and your stupid apologies!" she pushed him –"out with you, _coward_ and don't you ever dare call me!" he was thrown into the hallway, and the door was slammed in his face. He knew he left his best winter coat behind, but he wasn't coming back for it. It always ended up like that. Candice's roommate peeked into the corridor and measured him –"You probably deserved it."

"Yeah, I probably did." He clambered to his feet heavily and walked away. People just assumed he was a player. They didn't fully get it. He had his way with women, but he couldn't stay. Couldn't stick around, with these big-ass cursed wings- that was mostly the problem, his mutation. They were good for sex, and then nothing else. He got into the car and buckled himself. On the way back to the Manion he called Loki, it was five AM and there was no reply. Was he finally pounding into Rogue like he said he would? _Good for him._ Angel played loud music all the way home. He went up to his room once he got to the asylum and curled in his bed with his clothes and straps on. If he was inlove, he didn't think about it, because he never deserved it, listening to the rhythm of the rain outside, he simply closed his eyes.

*


	28. Wake When Some Vile Thing is Near

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more dark sex for Rogue and Loki, and some emo for Thor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (soz. nothing funny this time. im exploring different geners :P, but im very happy with the result! tell me what you reckon if you get the urge)

_I have it planned in my mind_  
_I'm comin' at you from behind_  
_When your guard is down_  
_When you least expect it_  
_I'm gonna find out a way_  
_For me to wallow in your ways_  
_And idolize from the inside_

_I'll learn to deal with your kind_  
_Manipulate the divine_  
_And sanctify... have patience_

**_[Calla]_ **

A loud noise came from Rogue's mobile phone and rumbled about the room - her alarm clock- that played a _Slipknot_ tune she used to love but came to detest ever since this was the ring that ruined her sleep and booted her into reality. Both her and Loki jumped to the sudden sound and were fully awake in less than a second, but being tied to bed she had no way of reaching her phone to silence it. "What is this hullaballoo, mutant?!" called Loki and stared at her in a blend of irritation and startlement.

The expression on his face was so comical that Rogue couldn't help but explode in a ringing laughter –"It's… hahahaha… heavy metal!"

"Feels like someone is bashing my head with _a heavy metal_ indeed. Where is it coming from?!"

"My phone… I think it's under the bed-" she laughed so hard she felt tears forming in her eyes and her belly ached.

"Your Midgard fashions are of terrible taste." He decided as he dove under the bed in search of the phone –"Is this your idea of _music_?"

"Hahaha, yes, yes it is. Just put it in my hand." She said, still cracking up.

"Here." He placed her phone in her hand with an appalled face and she turned it off and tossed it away, not minding the 11 unanswered calls from a number she had not saved but recognized as Remy's.

"Some way to start the day." Muttered Loki with annoyance and dropped on top of her with all his weight, pushing the hair away from her face and kissing her thirstily with his palms on her cheekbones. Yes, it _was_ a way to start the day, an ideal one even, because Loki's practice resembled a boyfriend's and it was uplifting; and though there was no point to think about him as a long-term suitor Rogue answered his kiss with a keen moan of acknowledgement and longing. Flexing and fisting her fingers in her restraints that felt bizarrely comforting she noted how passionate he was when it came to this, his enthusiasm was that of a novice, though he had centuries in his repertoire of trying just about anything. Be it as it may, his zealous manner made her feel as desired as a goddess and as dirty as a slut, and she was losing herself in it imprudently. Diffident contractions between her legs signaled her that her sex was already missing him as well, and while their first few times were painful - they were _marvelously_ painful due to his abnormal size and avidity- but it was also a spellbinding experience that stirred her emotions and etched into her muscle memory. Rogue never had sex like this before, and she wanted more.

As they were kissing, Loki's right hand moved to the belts that were pinning her to the bed posts and released the knots. The sheer acts of tugging and maneuvering her hands in the process gave her an exquisite tingle. Once he was done untying her blindly, he broke the kiss to take both her hands in his –"And she is free as a bird again." He uttered.

Something like trouble cast a faded shadow on her frisky mood, because for a second it was as though he was rejecting her, although it made absolutely no sense. It's just that the absence of the binds was a loss of some sort, and she couldn't really fathom why. However, she was beginning to comprehend why his former pets and partners loved it. Loki brought her wrists up to his mouth, one by one, and kissed and licked the tender skin attentively, where the bonds left pale red marks- they were not as harsh as the previous ones and they didn't make her numb. _He was studying her._ Both the thought and the gesture made her stomach roll with need; but then after a while he clearly wasn't content so he picked up the left one again and sucked deeply until Rogue gasped evasively as she could sense the bruise budding.

"Ah, she is audible. What a treat." Said Loki and rubbed the fresh love-bite against his chin.

"You keep on shushing me and then you want me to be loud." Said Rogue and caressed the bones in his shoulder with her free hand –"Can't really figure you out, _Prince-of-Asgard_."

" _And_ she uses my formal title. Perhaps I should reconsider taking her as my _slave_."

The word, with all of its terror and shame, kindled a fire in her loins.  She just wanted to hold him against her body- but Loki had other ideas. He flipped her on her stomach effortlessly and lay on top of her, kissing her neck just above the collar –"Of course, she would have to be re-educated, reformed and revised." He closed his teeth around her nape and held her forearms to the bed- as if he was going to take her while under a death-threat, as a wild animal would do in the savanna. She shuddered with the thrill of it and yet felt calmly petrified, the sting of his fangs poking at the sides of her throat stopped her from thinking altogether. There was only dark awareness and irresistible fervor.

"Hmm." Loki released her as abruptly as he attacked –"But no, she wasn't made for that."

The words sounded weird, and she couldn't decide whether he covertly longed for her to be as the others were. Was he not happy with their adventure on the lip of the abyss? But then again, this wasn't new to him. It was just his behavior that was befuddling.

"For future knowledge, mutant," he said in a practical tone as he rose –"Be loud when you wish to be silent and be mute when you wish to scream out your lungs. It isn't complicated, I am certain you can wrap your head around it. But if you are in doubt, I will correct you."

Again, weirder and odder, the man was an enigma forged by the wizards in _Lord of the Rings_ , but before she could ask for some clarifications he added –"I will see you in the shower." Rogue blinked and sat up, holding the blanket to her chest.

"The shower? Now?"

"Yes, now. Do you not wish to climax?" he made it sound like a task.

"You mean the _women's_ shower??" she almost stuttered.

"Women, men, what is the difference?" he wondered as he stepped away from the bed–"Haven't you done before this sort of thing?"

"Yeah… I … well, yep." She gulped –"Definitely did."

"Then why are we having a symposium about it. Go on, hurry. I assume you will need to take off that collar sooner than ide like you to."

"Yes…" Rogue blushed because she almost forgot about it. Showing up to practice with her collar on would have been even more mortifying than getting caught blowing Loki, because it would suggest that they had spent the entire night shagging, and everyone would know about it.

"Meet you there." Said Loki and he was collecting his clothes from the floor. Rogue wrapped herself in the blanket and walked barefoot to the door. She opened it hesitantly to see that the coast was clear, then padded on tiptoes towards the shared bathroom at the end of the corridor, heart hammering. She could never guess why Xavier chose for all the mutants to share the facility, but perhaps he wanted them to see that they weren't alone in their deformities. There was one thing he did insist upon, though, and that was separating the males from the females in this case. And it was morning, almost 8 AM- a busy time for reveling in a shower with an alien of the opposite gender, but Rogue found she was too horny to care. She did not even mind the fact that there were no locks on the doors- a precaution, against teenage mutants who might think about killing themselves while secluded in there.

Rogue entered the women's bathroom and called out "Hello?" – to which there was no reply. Somewhat relieved, she picked one of the furthest cells in the row that had a little more privacy and was about to open the door when Loki appeared out of nowhere, with absolutely no clothes on and manhandled her inside.

"Loki!"

"Quiet. How much time have we got?" he emitted breathlessly.

"I dunno… like 20 minutes tops?"

"That'll do." He ripped the blanket off her and threw it over the door, then got the water running. The current fell on both of them, noisy and impossibly cold- and Rogue whined in protest, but he gathered her into his arms and rubbed her back until the temperature was bearable. The water that flowed to the drain was tinted in red.

"You're bleeding!" cried Rogue in alarm.

"No, not anymore. I bled."

"Whatever did you bleed for!?"

"For your wanton scratching down my back, my pretty." Said he and before she had a chance to respond he gripped her mouth with his and pushed her against the cold tiles, pressing his sculpture- like body to her scarred one.

"Mmmm!" cried Rogue, trying to fight him off.

Loki broke the kiss, but held her tightly and his eyes were darkened with a primitive will –"Speak this one time, Marie." He growled lowly –"I won't allow you another opportunity before I spend into your womb."

His words sent a quiver down her spine as the water was dripping around them –"Yeah, about that… _exactly_ about that, to be honest-"  said she, but searching for words seemed like such an effort, and her clit was throbbing achingly –"You kinda need to wear a condom, Sugah. Coz were not tryna have a baby- so… so you're gonna need to put one on."

"Yes." Said Loki –"Ermm. No." and he hauled her right leg over his shoulder, making her lose her balance and having to lean on him for support. She was as flexible as a circus performer, but having the ability to stand on her own taken from her in a slippery shower caused her to feel insecure and vulnerable, not to mention afraid for he has just refused to use protection. The weirdest part being she didn't feel she could muster the energy to quarrel with him about it. And yet she tried-

"Loki, c'mon, I also wanna be able not to think about it, but-"

"But what." He said impatiently –"My dear father ensured that I shall impregnate no women in this pitiful form." His voice was bitter –"Believe me, I wasn't sent here to rejoice. My seed is sterilized. If you won't trust me, trust him. He is a man of his word." Said Loki, and with a grunt he shoved his cock up her canal. A blunt shock made her inner muscles clasp around him, instinctively preventing him from making another move lest he chose to be violent, which wouldn't be surprising, and yet her body was attempting to delay what was just around the bend. Rogue held her breath and squeezed his shoulders, holding back a cry- because she remembered he wanted her silent when her voice willed to break out from her lips.

"Pain?" he asked unmoving and nuzzled his nose against hers.

Rogue nodded, unable to speak. He was blatantly big, and the diagonal position made the friction even more intense. She was doing her best and stretched to the brim, but she had to _get used to him_ , something that he just didn't get, or just wouldn't.

"I'll go slow." He promised, and though his promises were dust in the wind, this one he managed to keep. The first few thrusts were indeed unhurried, but they still burnt. Then he stopped moving and kissed her, and his tongue was soft and mollifying, exploring her mouth with delicate swipes, until she was able to relax and her body discharged another trickle of lubricating slick to ease his strives.

To her futile protests Loki hoisted her other leg to his shoulder- she was now completely detached from the ground and hung in mid-air, locked between his body and the wall with no control, with nothing to brace herself on but him. The water kept washing around both of them and the hot steam was heavy on the lungs. She wanted to give up the entire thing for the risk and the difficult position that all in all just made her uncomfortable; but as he started moving again, it was moderate, and she found that the pain melted away.

"Your tracker." He said, stroking her shin as he fucked her –"It stopped blinking."

"R…really?" she tried to look up in the impossible tangle of limbs, but he pushed her back to the tiles.

"Close your eyes." That was an order, and Rogue did –"Are you better now, Mutant?"

"Yes." She whispered. –"Much better."

"Good, then moan for me."

This was hard, because she was so damn embarrassed. All she could get herself to voice were the tiniest of sighs and an occasional whimper. She was so much aware of the shared bathroom- anyone could just come in at anytime… and then his hand slid downwards and his finger found her folds, pushing them aside mildly to expose her clit. Rogue groaned into his shoulder because her clit was so terribly sensitive, a finger touching it would be way too crude and over stimulating. Then, to her surprise, Loki didn't touch it at all.  He circled it with his forefinger and his touch was indeed so light and so right- like the wings of a hummingbird. She chocked on her sob and buried her face in his chest.

"Am I doing well?" he asked softly.

"Yeah… more like… fucking perfect…"

"Mmm. Told you I was good at it." He suckled on her earlobe -"Cum, mutant." That was an order, and Rogue came, the force of her orgasm highlighted by a thunder from outside. She clung onto Loki who stopped being considerate and fucked her strenuously against the walls of the shower, the pain from before dissipated into passion, and there was nothing but the two of them fully engaged in ravenous sex. Except for a terrified echo of someone shrilling in the back of her mind, somewhere in the distance, and a flutter of feet that were running away from the bathroom and could have been Kitty's, or it could have been just her imagination. She cared not.

*

"Father." Said Thor gravely as he approached the porch where Odin was sipping his favorite drink- a cocktail produced from droplets of rainbow and rare flowers and the eggs of Valkyries-  he didn't fancy disturbing his father in his hour of leisure, but he felt that the matter was pressing.

"What tampers you mind, Son?" inquired Odin, his beard stained with the juice of the cocktail and his eyes harsh.

"I just came from the Bifrost." Said Thor, fondling his belt for no reason –"Went to see Heimdall… and… and have a look at my brother."

"Your _brother_." Odin coughed, perhaps slightly drunk –"Is no son of mine."

"Father, I know you are angry with him." Thor flowed down to his knees in front of the old man, but his eyes were staring right into his face –"But… I beg you, father. To allow him to return where he belongs. Mother and I… we _miss_ him."

"You _miss_ him, first born?" said Odin with obvious scorn that made Thor cringe inside his armour. –"What is it you _miss_ about him? The way he made an utter _fool_ out of you? The way he tried to steal the throne by putting us all in danger? The way he tried to _destroy_ your love-life?"

"No." Thor blushed –"It isn't about that, and in any case… my love life… I mean… Jane will be leaving."

"Leaving." The old man chuckled, and it stung –"Has she had enough of her God?"

"We just came to the conclusion-"

"Spare me the details, Son." Said Odin and emptied his goblet, then wiped his mouth –"Mortals and Gods… what have we come to? The nine realms gone topsy-turvy, my own son… **stupid**." He got to his feet and picked up his staff that was leaning on his chair and began walking away, limping. Thor knew he had spoiled his father's mood with this visit. He also knew that the word _stupid_ was for him, and it hurt terribly. No matter what he did, his father was always disappointed in him and unhappy. He also noticed how old his father has become and it was disconcerting. Painful to look at, it made him want to weep as he watched him hold onto the banister as he stumbled forward step by carful step. Thor rose to his feet and suppressed the urge to assist him –"Speaking of mortals and Gods-" he called after Odin –"I have reason to believe that my brother Loki is getting involved with one. A mortal, that is. I believe that we must-"

"Believe what you will." Spat Odin –"Your brother is incapable of loving, rest your mind."

"But what if he-"

"And he will not father any children in his current form. I saw to that. Goodnight, Thor."

"Goodnight, Father." Thor bowed, mind blank.

*


	29. Lying in False Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an in-between chapter in which a lot happens emotionally for Angel, Rogue and Kitty, but nothing sexual really (sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and... we are soon reaching the end of this in 5-6 chapters. gotta say, I liked it so much I'm considering doing it again, with either Angel or Lucifer as protagonist. feel free to share your thoughts with me.

_It's so lonely coming down_  
_It's a long long wait around_  
_It's a hollow hollow day_  
_It's a long long long long way, way down._

 _Fair and feather-white_  
_Lying in false paradise_  
_I found you on your side_  
_Weighed down._

 _Don't go,_  
_Because you know I will follow_  
_You know if I lose you I'll go mad._

**_[The Horrors]_ **

**_  
_** Kitty Pryde entered the bathroom rather late that morning, which was not her habit. She preferred using it before dawn or way after the mansion was asleep and quiet as a graveyard. Today was different, because Kitty stayed up for almost the entire night reading a book about sexy vampires and she fell asleep with the novel on her face. She only awoke when she heard an earsplitting crack of thunder and hurried to the shared bathroom with her pajamas and her headphones on.  The music was loud, so that she wouldn't have to talk to anyone there – she was avoiding people since the Loki incident- and she already made up her mind not to wash anything other than her face and teeth, so the trip would be as short as possible. However, when she entered the facilities the place was empty. She stood in front of the mirror and took out her pink toothbrush and her cherry-flavoured paste out of her neat toiletry bag. As she was brushing her teeth and locating a new zit in the looking-glass, shining right in the center of her forehead, she also noticed someone had left behind a warm quilt hanging on the door of the last cell. The item would never have grabbed her attention unless it was flapping to un unnoticeable gale. In fact, the whole cell was shaking forcefully and Kitty feared that there was someone puking in there, or going through a painful metamorphosis as some mutants sometimes did. Anxious, but determined to help Kitty turned with the brush still clamped in her mouth and approached the plastic door timidly. She touched to it with only the tips of her fingers, ready for anything as the door silently swung open- ready for anything, except for what she saw. Loki and Rogue were at it again, and it was horrifying; Kitty didn't even stay long enough to absorb the details, because she knew that if he spotted her this time, he would kill her. The yelp that left her mouth, however, she did not manage to stop on time. She turned on her heels and ran straight through the wall with her headphones on, unknowing where to, skipping and skidding over beds and chairs and desks and private possessions, jumping between floors and corridors, her panting hysterical in her ears- until she arrived at the living room and her ponytail was caught in the hand of very angry Jean. The headphones dropped to the carpet with the force of the grinding halt.

"Have you _lost your_ _mind_ , child!?" scolded the redhead as she held her by her hair like a fish on a hook and forced her to face her –"What is this frantic running again?"

"I got my period!" Kitty jabbered, eyes stinging with tears. Jean could be just as cruel as Loki.

"As far as I know the monthly cycle does not cause any of us to jog and leap in the air, unless it's a TV commercial."

"I wasn't jogging, I forgot my tampons-" tried Kitty, knowing that she had to buy herself some time. If Jean peeked into her mind, she would find out that she was still thinking about Loki, when she was specifically ordered not to, and when it put her in grave danger. The truth was that Kitty did wash the soiled plastic case after Loki marked it, but the faint scent that lingered there intrigued her, and she would sniff it every once in a while. _It was the smell of his desire,_ and Kitty believed it meant that somewhere deep inside he still craved her. But Jean cannot know about it, so Kitty must keep blabbering, she must distract her-

"Your tampons?"

"I didn't know it was today."

"You are acting very strangely, Katherine." Jean narrowed her eyes at her –"and if your period is not in order then perhaps we should set an appointment and see each other at the clinic."

"No, no!" blurted Kitty with a panic –"There's really no need, Jean. It's fine!"

"Yes, it is a fine morning, I agree." Came the voice of Professor Xavier who wheeled just around the kitchen corner to Kitty's enormous relief. Jean automatically dropped her ponytail.

"Good morning, Professor." Said Kitty, offering a fake smile and bending to pick up her headphones with an unstable hand –"I am so happy that you've returned!" – that was a solid truth. Jean frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"What is the matter with Kitty's hair?" inquired the Professor in a pleasant tone –"Looks fine to me."

"Yeah, she just said perhaps I should cut it a little bit-" lied Kitty, because she preferred having Jean on her side than having to cope with the truths on her wild mind.

"Ah, how would I know, girls?" chuckled the professor –"haven't had a hair on my head in decades. So, shall we sit down for breakfast? Jean, some black tea, if you please."

"Of course, Professor."

"Kitty-cat." He remarked –"You forgot to wash the toothpaste out." his voice was calm indeed, but his eyes were glancing at Kitty thoroughly, piercing her soul and seeking for her most hidden secrets –"Did you see something in the mirror that spooked you?"

"Yes… sir." Coughed Kitty, and lowered her eyes, still standing in the living room awkwardly, like a 10-year-old child. There was nothing she could keep from him.

"But you will not speak to me about it, will you?"

Kitty nodded, feeling ashamed and ugly and cursed.

"No need to worry now. I will send Storm to have a chat with you, that alright?"

No, it wasn't alright. It wasn't alright at all, but it was time to fight off her vampires, and Kitty really felt like there was no other choice.

*

The morning was painted blue and gray, carrying a chilly atmosphere and the howl of a hailstorm that was drifting down their way, and yet Loki's chest was light and filled with pride and elation - it was as though he was about to soar into the clouds and take a ride on the wings of the mistral, to be flown like a snowflake and view Midgard from above. It made him smile with contentment as he strolled down the hallway, whistling, on his way to the clinic.

He knocked on the door briefly, creating a musical beat as he did.

"Come in." said Jean.

Loki walked into the clinic with a bounce in his step. He could see Jean was sitting at her desk reading a newspaper. She did not raise her head or greet him, but simply gestured casually with her right hand and the tracker around his ankle clicked open and rolled to the floor with a clunk.

" _Oh_." Said Loki slyly and approached her –"No speeches this time?"

"Nope."

"No chiding, no threats, no mocking?"

"Nope." Repeated Jean, leafing through the pages and allegedly focusing on whatever was printed on them.

"A pity." Emitted Loki –"I was beginning to grow fond of your vile personality." That was a truth, because for all his hatred towards the woman, Loki was not the one to relish a peaceful cruise on easy waters. All that ever pulled him and kept him captivated had to be unique and challenging.

"Well, blame Charles if you must blame someone." Said Jean dryly –"Said you could keep your _sex-slave_ , so have fun."

"A sex-slave?" Loki raised both his eyebrows and invited himself to take a seat opposite Jean –"I fear that here on Midgard you have quite a distorted idea of the term. Sex slaved are whipped when they go wrong and whipped when they do right, they please their masters- which is the sole reason for their existence- and they most definitely never have their own will fulfilled, in addition-"

"Here's the thing." Said Jean sharply and lowered her glasses as she finally stared at him –"I don't give a shit, Loki. Now scoot."

"But I'm not finished." He insisted.

"I am, though. Anyways, if you're looking for someone to obey you, why doncha pick Kitty? I saw what's on her mind this morning, was a nasty thing that you did to her, Asgardian. But you know what? She found it _thrilling_. Poor thing." Jean shook her head, smiling humorlessly –"she'd do anything. You're better off with her than with Rogue. That tramp will trample you, you mark my words."

And here Loki went pale, because she knew. Well, or course she knew, what did he expect? It was silly and reckless or him to mess with Kitty. Another moment and he was back on his feet.

"You don't have to be weary of me anymore." Said Jean "I trust we won't be speaking to each other again unless it's a polite conversation over a festive meal."

"Alright." Replied Loki casually and walked out.

*

That evening Angel took him out for a beer. They did not have to sneak out this time and they did not have to hide from anyone. They simply got dressed and went into the birdman's car, driving off in the falling rain and leaving a trail of smoke behind them. Angel was awfully quiet for the entire ride and once they arrived at the pub he shook his golden locks from the water and found a table for both of them to sit at. He never removed his jacket.

"Sssoooo!" he said after a long while and half a pint –"Did it meet your godly expectations? The sex? I couldn't _believe_ it when I called you this morning and you _actually_ didn't pick up! Thought you guys were never gonna do it. I'm so happy you did!!!"

"T'was okay." Loki shrugged and gulped on his own beer.

"Nah, it wasn't, Lockster! Couldn't have been just 'okay'."

"It was _fine_."

"Right." Chuckled Angel –"I forget, in the realm of the Gods sex is divine, and here on earth it's like… it's… just not what you're looking for… " Warren trailed off and called the waiter to order another pint. A bowl of olives was served to them and Angel tipped the whole content into his mouth and started spitting the kernels back into the bowl, one by one.

"You seem under the weather." Remarked Loki –"Are you quite alright?"

"Sure." A bunch of seeds fell from the Angel's mouth and he wiped his lips with his sleeve and burped –"Might be catching a cold or som'ing."

"Ah." Said Loki solemnly –"and how was it with toaster girl?"

The handsome blonde tapped his fingers on the table impatiently –"Where is my beer? Why is it taking them ages?"

Loki crossed his arms –"It has been less than two minutes since you asked them to serve you another. What's on your mind, Feathers?"

"It's over, okay?" Angel burped again and Loki realized he was drunk even before they came to the pub. –"Told her I wanted to see other girls, is all, she got upset, of course, and end of story."

Loki flushed, not even quite knowing why, and he leaned on the table and looked Angel straight in the eyes –"I may be weak in the Midgardian ways, but I can still spot a _lie_ when I hear it, Warren. Spit it out." That was an order. The Angel immediately spat two more kernels into the neglected ashtray –"These are the last of them! I swear!"

"Oh, for Valhalla's sake…" grumbled Loki and got up to walk around the table and sit next to Angel, putting his arm around him –"What happened?" he inquired –"with your girl?"

"She… oh, Gosh, Lockster…" Angel raked through his own hair –"she wanted me to be her boyfriend."

"And?" Loki pressed on.

"I said no, obviously."

Loki squeezed the broad shoulder with his hand –"Do you not fancy her?"

"I do." Angel gave a pitiful sob and Loki patted him on his back. When the waiter arrived with his beer Loki signaled him to go away without Angel noticing.

"Well then, what seems to be the problem?"

"I have a _mutation_."

"Yes, and?"

Warren removed his hands from his face and stared at Loki with marvel –"and it is… shameful."

"Nonsense." Said Loki –"she already knows about it, doesn't she?"

"Yes…"

"And what does she make of it?" encouraged the trickster, rubbing the Angel's neck.

"She loves it." Said Angel and reached for Loki's beer, but Loki slid it away from him.

"Happy days." He said and kissed Angel on his forehead –"Then you two were made for each other, clearly."

"But her parents-" said Angel, completely out of himself.

"Should never know about it. Can you manage that, birdman? I'm sure it isn't that hard. C'mon, let's go to her place. I'll drive you."

"Are you sure?" wondered Angel as Loki heaved him on his feet and supported him under his armpit.

"What's not to be sure about? Even death is certain." Replied Loki and left Angel leaning against a stool as he extracted his wallet out of his pocket and went to take care of the bill.

*

It was dinner time at the mansion and Rogue had just finished her evening training. She was contemplating whether to take a shower before or after the food, but then decided to clean herself before showing up at the dining room. As she was washing her hair, she wouldn't admit it even to herself that she was doing it because she wanted Loki to see her at her best.

She took her time putting on makeup and a black sleeveless dress, and pulled on some silken crimson gloves, wondering if this was too much. Blast it, who gives a shit. She went downstairs, her heart fluttering in her chest when she noticed he wasn't even around. She could spot Scott, Jean, Kitty, Bobby and Storm feasting on some steak and greasy rice. The professor probably took the meal in his chambers, but where were Loki and Angel? She couldn't hide the disappointment on her face as she sat down quietly in her usual seat next to Storm and broke some bread for herself with disinterest.

"They went out for a beer. Got permission from Xavier." Said Jean viciously, sipping from her chalice just a tiny bit of red wine.

Rogue flushed, but Storm hit her ribs with an angry elbow, wordlessly encouraging her to come up with a reply, to not let herself be run over by Jean.

"Who?" asked Rogue, shaking already, but trying to sound cool.

"Who?" Jean smiled and cut the meat on her plate curtly –"your demon of a boyfriend and his Angelic sidekick. I could see you were upset when you came down and they weren't here. Just wanted to fill you in."

Kitty was giggling at that and Bobby was also, although they weren't mean, just teenagers.  

Rogue slammed the fork on her plate –"What is your fucking problem, Jean!?" and everyone went quiet and still, apart from Jean who pushed the meat into her mouth and chewed for some seconds before responding –"I'm not the one with the problem, Marie."

"What is _my_ problem then!" she almost yelled.

"Easy. Your addiction to men. I gotta pill to fix it."

"I'll _fix_ your _face_!"  

"Classy." Said Jean placidly –"I am only trying to restore some sense into your head, which is currently filled with heart shaped emojis" the teenagers chuckled again, but Rogue was flooded by fury and she kneed the table so that it tilted, and all of its content spilled over mostly Jean and her boyfriend. Jean's mouth was gaping for a second, but when she had risen with an ominous stare in her eyes it was Storm who yelled –"ENOUGH! You are making fools out of yourselves. For shame, is this how women warriors should behave at the dinner table? What chance, then, do we have against our enemies?"

Jean only brushed her red hair out of her face, and sat back down, gaining her composure, but Rogue was still all lava and firecrackers. Storm then grabbed her by her arm and pulled her away, almost dragging her behind her, until they were safe and secure in the dim light of the hallway on the second floor.

"What are you trying to do exactly?!" Storm chided.

"You elbowed me! You pushed me into it!" Rogue tried defending herself.

"I only wanted you to talk back, not to throw a tantrum!"

Storm let go of her arm now, and Rogue was plainly abashed. She shook her head. The whole thing with Loki… it wasn't real. Couldn't have been real. They were supposed to meet tonight, but where was he? Gone. Like socks and pens and all other men.

"Did you really think that she was going to make it easy on you?" Asked Storm harshly –"Do you not know the woman? You have been competing each other forever, and it is NOT going to change, so you must toughen up, Rogue!"

"Yes, yes… I know…" said Rogue, absent mindedly.

"And what is this? What is this outfit?" Storm gestured at her dress –"everyone already knows that you are sleeping with him. Do you have to make it so obvious?"

Rogue looked down at her dress and blushed once more, and she was stuttering when she spoke –"I wanted to look nice."  

Storm measured her disapprovingly –"you are playing with fire." She told Rogue –"I can see that he has your heart, despite all that was said between us. Fine, so you do not care about being an X-Men at the moment? but if you want to keep staying here, next to your prince, you will have to do much better than this."

Storm's eyes were cold, and they were hurtful. Rogue was unable to brush off that image from her mind. She went into her room, closed the door silently and opened the window widely. She climbed to the windowsill and hugged her knees, letting the drizzle soak her completely. It was at that moment, when she was playing with the idea of calling Remy- for a decent conversation. He would know what to say, even if it was all lies. He would remind her of who she really was- a strong woman, who takes no shit from anyone, anyone ever on this fucking planet. Her eyes wallowed with tears of resentment as she picked up her phone.

*


	30. Filth & Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some soap-opera for Angel, some emo dark sex for Rogue and Loki yee-ha- coz they love it and that is what it's all about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super happy with this one, plus I am hopelessly hooked on the song I attached to it :P <3

_Because he knows_  
_Our Romeo_  
_He can't climb back_  
_He swings in loopholes_  
_When he goes through the air_  
_Vengeance will stretch out_  
  
_I made the best of it_  
_I made the best of it_  
_I made the best of it_

**_[The Walkmen]_ **

"And then she tells me that she's pregnant-" continued Angel, his face red and his eyes squinting –"and all that I can think of, is will the child have wings? And I'm not even seeing her anymore, just a vision of this little fatso baby with a pair of little wings, propelling around her bedroom, you know? Like in them old religious paintings? "-

"Which girlfriend was it again?" asked Loki politely, though he was not a tad interested, only trying to keep the drunkard awake as he was doing his best to focus on driving in the rain and at the same time following the orders of the mechanical female voice that told him where to turn and when.

"That was _Sandra_ -" enhanced Angel and thumped on the dashboard –"I can tell you aren't listening, Lockster."

"My apologies," uttered Loki ironically as they reached the gates of the university –"but due to the 1001 tales about your ex-lovers and why it didn't work out I managed to miss a turn about 1001 times. Also, this robo-lady, when she says that we will arrive at the next turn in 200 yards, it is a _lie_."

"Hahaha!" Angel roared with laughter and sighed in the end. They pulled over by a cabin and the guard at the gate hunched somewhat so that he could take a look in their car and asked for their student cards.

"Yeah, our student cards, Warren." Said Loki to the birdman through gritted teeth and stifled the will to slap him for not informing him about this obstacle in advance.

"Errmm… no, we don't go here, we're just visiting a friend." Tried Angel and he was leaning forward with such an effort he was practically lying in Loki's lap, attempting to look the guard in the face and be sounded over the noise of the rain.

"What is the friend's name?" demanded the guard, clearly losing his patience with them, as the water was running down his bright yellow raincoat.

"Her name is Katniss." Offered Loki with confidence.

"No! it's _Candice_. " corrected Angel and adjusted himself to a more comfortable position, throwing a glare at Loki who shrugged, because what's in a name.

"Candice what?" the guard continued being a pain in the backside.

"What?"

"Her surname. What is her surname?"

"Errmm…" Angel scratched his head and glanced at Loki for help. Unfortunately, the only help Loki had to offer was to possibly step out of the car and punch the guard's sniffing nose into his skull, or perhaps merely run him over- but these two options weren't ideal.

"Alright, boys." Said the guard, rolling his eyes –"Can't let you in, I'm afraid. You've got a parking lot just over there behind that little thicket. You can wait there, call your friend and get her to come down here, if you by chance manage to remember her name." he tapped on the roof of the car and sent them away.

"Crap." Muttered Angel as Loki maneuvered the car to the said parking lot, and stopped there, wipers moving back and forth on the windshield.

"So?" he asked the blonde –"ring her?"

"No, she said not to. She wouldn't pick up. I'll just fly over the wall from the back side, the rain should cover for me."

Loki shifted with unease –"That doesn't sound very wise, Warren."

"You know…" said Angel, still rather tipsy –"when people think of me, 'wise' isn't the first thing that comes to mind." He smiled and unbuckled himself –"but I've also done stuff like this maybe a trillion times, so I should be fine." He smiled at Loki reassuringly, but the trickster grunted.

"You can take the car and drive back to the mansion. Hand over your phone."  

"Whatever for?"

"I'll give you a robo-lady of your own and she will guide your way home."

Loki squirmed in his seat and took the phone out of his back pocket, placing it in the Angel's hand and watching him focusing as he clicked the buttons with the deftness of an expert, his gorgeous face illuminated by the screen.

" _Ready to go"_ said the female mechanical voice, and Angel installed the phone into its seating and opened the door of the passenger's seat –"Shouldn't take you more than 15 min. to get there. Seeya tomorrow?"

"If you survive the night…" replied Loki glumly.

"Haha," Angel moved in one last time to pat Loki on the shoulder –"Thanks, mate." He said kindly –"You were really there for me, I appreciate it."

"Brilliant. Now shut the door before I vomit."

*

Yes, Loki was _there_ unexpectedly for Angel, but then he wasn't _there_ in Rogue's bed, where he was expected. That was seriously starting off on the wrong foot, and from knowing her hurricane temper he could already guess she would be mad. Females hated being abandoned, an in particular they hated when it happened without an explanation, and Loki did not bother to explain himself very often. In fact, he only provided excuses to his actions if there was a knife at his throat, or if he was hung upside down by his ankles.

However, the drive back seemed to be taking a shorter time than the way to the toaster-girl, for Angel was not there anymore to distract him with his intoxicated tiresome chatter, and Loki also learnt how to deal with the vague instructions of the robo-lady. Yes, he did think once about taking the car and running away for good, but he could not find it in his heart to swindle Angel in this manner. Just as the allies he was driving started to look more and more familiar his phone bleeped, and a text message glowed just above the map that was showing him where to go –" _Where **the fuck** are you?"_

Loki could not comprehend how the phone was maintaining several tasks at a time, and he also did not know how to reply without taking his hands off the wheel- which he was reluctant to do because the car was fun, but risking the control he had on the machine for trying to regain control over the woman seemed like a lose-lose situation. It would not be long before he is able to say to her face where _the fuck_ he was, and at the same opportunity teach her to mind her tongue. That last thought was encouraging, thus instead of feeling uptight about seeing the mutant in her time of frenzy he actually felt charged with a boost of passion and lewdness.

As he arrived at the mansion, feeling smug for completing the task impeccably, he did risk letting go of the wheel for one second while still in motion, just to press the remote that Angel used to open the gates with. He slid into Angel's reserved parking space gracefully and stepped onto the gravel, collecting his coat and closing the gates, then tossing the remote back into the car and locking it. It was only as he was walking up the steps towards the second floor that something under his ribs began churning and rattling. What was he getting so worked up for? Was she going to yell at him? Hit him on the head with ' _The Art of Jiu-Jitsu: Volume III'?,_ kick him in the sack? Fracture his nose? Throw numerous colorful insults at him- all of these options were equally appetizing; and he would walk through the offences like a battle master and overpower her with only his physical force. He will have her sprawled on the floor and struggling, and he will make the struggling stop with his _cock_.

The enchanted fantasy carried him breezily all the way to her door, where he stood for a moment, pondering. He could text her, or knock- but that would be boring, and he wasn't. Loki tried the knob, that would not succumb and with a disappointed sigh hoisted his hand to knock on the wood, but for some reason decided against it due to an inexplicable impulse and pulled off one of his woolen gloves. He stared at the electronic thumb-lock to the right of the door then pressed his blank thumb to the pad. It was just an experiment, and he concentrated on what he wanted to occur- then, to his astonishment, the lock glowed green and the door made a quiet hiss and opened for him. Never in his life was Loki so taken aback by a simple _magic trick_ , but at this time he was, and for many seconds he merely gazed at his own hand as though it was not attached to his body.

"What the **_fuck_**?!" came Rogue's voice from inside, cueing him that there was no time to marvel at his awakening sorcery. It was time to play battle-master, and Loki strode in with his shoulders back and his chest boasting.

"Space-Scum!" she barked with bitterness- that was insult number one, but it wasn't a shout and she was not broiling, or it least she did not make that impression. No tearing of hair and no lashing out at him. If anything, she just came across as disappointed. She was standing at the open window and her body was elegantly bent in question mark of _femme-fatale_ , one leg angled in a triangle shape and a bare foot supported by her thigh, standing like a stork. She was wearing a tight gown and hugging her waste with one arm, smoking something that looked like a cigarette in the other, but smelled like something else. Then all he could see in the semi-darkness was a moonlit silhouette.

"Hello, Rogue." Loki said quietly and closed the door behind him.

"Yeah." She replied and scratched her chin with a fingernail, avoiding his gaze.

"Where is your collar?" he inquired silkily, examining her milky neck that was only stained with a pale pink stripe, perfectly shaped- signifying that the collar did irritate her, when it was in its rightful place.

"You are not worthy of it." She said simply, taking another hitch off her fag and blowing the smoke into night.

"Because I got delayed?"

"Delayed?" she huffed –"I've heard stories enough about these delays. Sometimes people get _delayed_ because they have secret wives to attend to."

"Are we talking about Remy?" Loki felt that he was being dragged into a trap, but he could not help his curiosity. The foul name on his tongue, however, made him genuinely sick.

"We are not talking." Said she.

"Right, I didn't come here to talk anyway."

"You've got _some_ nerve!" Rogue extinguished the fag against the windowsill and tossed the bud outside, changing position so that she was facing him now. Her face was fiery. _Good_. He was looking forward to that. Finally, the truth.

"I have." He said, all his might dedicated to restraining his burning ferocity.

"I was gonna call him, you know? And no one," she said –"no one on this cursed earth is allowed to make me wanna-"

"Call whom." Demanded Loki, his voice barely a whisper- to camouflage his building rage, although she was too preoccupied with her drama to notice the peril galloping her way.

"Remy." She replied.

" _Remy_."  Repeated Loki with disgust, and something was fermenting in his lower stomach, bubbling and simmering. He then swooped in like a bird of prey and he was behind her, pulling her hair back so that her neck was craning so badly the vertebrae were showing under the skin. "I've had just about enough of your Remy, and just about enough of these games." He growled in her ear, tugging even harder –"You will not again speak of him."

"Loki-" the mutant was pleading, quivering in his grip. For a moment it occurred to him that he was too rash and too harsh, but she was still a super-girl with super-powers who could kill him with a touch. He kicked his guilty pang out of the way and lead her to the bed by her hair, then threw her on the mattress and moved in to grab her throat with his remaining gloved hand –"Now where is that collar of yours. Speak!"

"It's… it's on the night stand-" stuttered Rogue and her eyes were shining –"Loki, please-"

"Please what?" he squeezed her windpipe, ever so slightly.

"Please don't be so angry…" She completed the sentence despite the fever that blinded both of them. Then, it occurred to him like a form of an epiphany, that she was not scared of him one bit. It was only his fury that she feared.

"It was me." She continued –"I was the one who was supposed to get mad tonight, not you. You cannot reverse the roles. It isn't fair. You _disappeared_!"

"I had _duties_." He pressed her neck to the mattress, watching her eyelids flutter.

"Your duty is to fuck me."  Said she, and the words struck him like lightening, wiping out all of his reason and leaving only his erect dick behind, standing proud and ready for action. These witches of Midgard really knew how to get to him.

"I shall do it my way." He warned.

"Okay, it's okay." Said Rogue, and every sound that she made reverberated in her vocal cords, right into his hand, behind the glove.

"This time, you will not be allowed to talk."

"I'll keep quiet, promise. No talk of… him… or anything. I will zip my mouth!"

"It shall not be up to you, so save these obsequious groveling." Loki released her neck unwillingly and left the bed for a moment to get the collar. He clicked it into place with his gloved hand and pushed the button that made it blink red. Then he settled between her legs with a sigh and touched his naked hand to the skin below her chin –"You will not take it off again, unless I allow it."

"The collar?" Rogue blinked –"C'mon, Loki, if I keep it on for too long it bur-"

Loki leaned in and devoured her in a succulent kiss. He had no wish to hear whatever nonsense she had to say to keep up this game. Indeed, it was a nice game, but every once in a while there was need for recess or a refreshment, and the job was on him. Let it be. Loki shoved his tongue into her mouth and held her face securely between his two palms. He heard her little excited gasps and felt her body arching in an attempt to meet his hard-on and rub against it- and apart from the kiss he kept out of reach purposely, coming up to his elbows and knees. This game was about not letting her get what she wanted. This game was _his_.

*


	31. No Rest for The Wicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some sexy sex for Loki and Rogue (haha) and some emo for poor Angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really loved writing this one :P

_Mix me with your sulfur soul_   
_Please, please_   
_Silver blood spilled all over me_   
_It feels like fire_

  
_To imagine that we've all got broken engines_

**_[Eatliz]_ **

All of Rogue's frustration and resentment dissolved when Loki's mouth came to rest on her inner thigh and slowly trailed its way upwards, calmly, as if he was moving through water. His left hand was laid on her stomach over her dress, fingers spread; and his right one was keeping her legs open to allow him full access as his face delved beneath the fabric. Her panties were cast aside long ago and she was exposed and unguarded against his oral wandering – and every nerve in her body fizzled with tension and yearning. However, her legs were restlessly swinging and chafing against the sheets without being told to, and they disrupted his delicate enterprise. She couldn't help herself, really. Because the roughness he handled her with until this moment was something easy to respond to- either by fighting back or submitting altogether; but the prolonged tenderness was somehow hurting, and she didn't know what to do with herself or how to accept it. He was simply too sweet to bear.

"If you do not cease this pointless writhing, woman, I will have no choice but to tie you down." He promised in his voice of plush, coming up to face her –"Something that you wish to tell me?"

"Mmhmm-" mumbled Rogue behind the barrier that he put in her mouth not twenty minutes before – one of her arm-length gloves. Her wrists were also bound behind her back with the twin accessory.

"You are right," he sighed –"Talking to myself is rather tedious, and you are not exactly the screaming type, are you?"

"Mm-mm." Rogue shook her head from side to side.  

"And you will not speak of _him_ again?"

"Mm-mmm!" she found his eyes, and there was a glimmer of amusement in their green spheres, and then he smiled, and it was nothing of his arsenal of sarcastic and impish expressions- it was a fairly honest, _humane_ smile that crinkled the edges of his eyes.

"Very well." He offered coolly, gave her a peck on the nose and reached behind her neck to unknot the ties of her gag. She spat the glove out with relief and felt the blood rushing back to her cheeks –"Gosh." She flexed her jaws and winced –"Let's not do this again, it wasn't fun."

"No?" he asked and brushed the hair away from her forehead.

"No."

"Then perhaps next time you will consider your words more carefully." But this wasn't a threat, just a form of a _suggestion_ , for it seemed that the space-man didn't know any better than to silence his partners whenever they said something that was not to his liking. That's how he managed to avoid their first lovers quarrel- if that's what it was.

"Or maybe next time you would listen." Said she.

"Oh." He answered hazily, as though his consciousness was only half-present –"What was that that you willed me to listen to? The swish of the wind blowing in the willow tree?" he did not expect her to reply and fondled her ear between two fingers –"I had learnt in a thousand years that the ghosts of the past howl interminable warnings at us, but all they bring up is dust."

And there, without a sign that foreshadowed their arrival, tears bounced up her throat and flooded her eyes. And why was she so sensitive all of a sudden? She cursed herself for that outburst of pathetic emotions that turned her into a pulp, but to her surprise Loki didn't seem to mind. If anything, he gazed at her with renewed interest that wasn't even sexual. It felt as though he was observing her like a doctor or a scientist. _He was studying her._

Loki gathered her into an embrace and crushed her against his body, speaking steadily into her ear –"Your ghosts need to rest in their graves, and you need to rest with me."

"There is no rest with you." Said Rogue, wiping her tears on his shoulder –"Not even sleep!"

"You could sleep through it; I would not care." He nibbled on the line of her jaw, and her chin –"I will keep my movements to the necessary minimum-" he kissed her neck seductively, tonguing along the collar where it met the skin and smirking when she moaned to it –"I'll be quiet-" he sucked on his own index finger and glided it into her cleavage –"and _lagging_ …"

Rogue shifted with unease, savoring the tone of his voice and shivering to the words it was conveying. She would hug him close had her hands not been idle and tucked in a firm tie shy above her bum.

"How's that?" He asked efficiently as he was folding and straightening his finger windingly between her breasts.

"Awful."  

The trickster chuckled then let her go, planting one last kiss on her lips before sliding down to his original post under her dress, where she was dripping wet –"Rather." He remarked, tasting the slick with the tip of his tongue –"T'is so awful that you will soon deluge the bed and have us both drowned."

"No no no no no no-" she protested and squirmed through her giggle of humor and nervousness –"I don't want you to go down on me!"

"The word 'no'-" he slipped her dress up past her hips –"is not in the pool of the permitted vocabulary."

"But it's a bas- _eek_ \- !"  her words faltered as he exhaled, warm against her sex –"It's only 'yes, Loki," or just 'yes'. You are quite a slow learner, aren't you?" and with that, he closed his mouth around her clit, kissing her there and causing her to thrash about – which was completely futile. This time both his hands were used to pin her ankles to the bed. She could try and resist it however she wanted, but he was doing it. And it was-

Terribly wonderful, or wonderfully terrible- or both. He had done it to her three times last night, but last night was hasty and quickened and disheveled… while _this_ … was agonizingly measured and sluggish. Rogue let out a wet cry, because everything was just too much, but then a _freezing_ finger entered her and she choked on her cry and stopped breathing. Utterly stunned.

Loki's evil lips let go of her clit –"Breathe." He said silkily. That was an order.

Rogue breathed, but it was a broken effort of gasps and huffs for the finger inside her did not grow any warmer as the seconds passed, and she wondered if it was possible to get a freeze-burn in there-

"Don't think." Another order, and Rogue closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink into the sensation, then the finger started pushing in and out at an incredibly slow pace, throwing her out of herself with legs shaking in his hold. What the hell was he doing?? How was he doing that? He truly was _Ah_ … wizard. She was so overwhelmed she feared she might faint, but just when the pain got too distracting, the finger was pulled out and replaced by his warm mouth and his warm tongue that licked her insides and righted the wrong, or the other way around, compensating for the coldness, making her hot in a whole different way. She cried out again, her fingers clutching the sheet desperately, holding herself back from uttering his name, when it's all that she wanted to say- it was all the she ever wanted to say: _Loki, Loki, Loki.._. Then the frost came again, this time touching her clit – and Rogue _shrieked_ – it was then when he extracted his icy finger and shifted upwards, his tongue massaging her clit, lapping off the memory of the frostbite, lazily and intently- toying with her most sensitive and private part, that was achingly stiff.

"Loki… I… I can't."

"Of course you can, _darling_." He drawled –"Are you not a warrior? I am sure the battlefield is much less forgiving."

"This isn't a battle- fi-" the words were lost to her as his ice finger penetrated her for the second time, making her gurgle and bite into the pillow with a mix of passion and agitation. 

"Relax." He soothed, and there was nothing soothing about it, not at all, not one bit –"It's going to last a while now."

" _What_ -?! How long d'ya mean?!" her voice came out muffled for the pillow in her mouth, and then the super-cold finger was fucking her again, making her mind a cloud of incoherence. –"Ho-th-"

"Shhh." He answered, clearly happy with himself –"A while, since I've already climaxed twice since we started, and not in the ideal way which would have been inside you- but it was done, so we have time."

"You ba- … b-"

"Bastard?" he asked amiably as he leaned to kiss her navel, licking there as well, as if everything else wasn't enough –"Yes. I am. We've already established that. However, my mouth is too busy at the moment to finish your thoughts for you. So either you articulate them by yourself or moan instead." And with that he dove between her legs again.

*

"Kitten, please tell me what happened that got you upset." Storm pleaded with her for the third time as they were sitting on the bed in Storm's bedroom, that was on the top floor. As senior X-Men, it was only Jean, Scott and herself who got the more privileged rooms and there was nothing to complain about, although Storm did invite the younger members to her chambers when they needed a pep-talk – determined to make them see that she would never look down on them just because she happened to have a higher status. But the girl wasn't comfortable, and the girl was rejecting her attempts at a chat, and the girl would not even say a single word.

"Kitty, I need to know. You need to tell me."   

"No, I don't." insisted the girl, finally breaking her vow of unresponsiveness and being rather feisty–"Just because you're older than me you all think you can boss me around, but I'm sick of that!"

"Where on earth did that attitude come from, child?" wondered Storm –"we're only… well, _trying to help,_ and we're _worried_."

"About what."

"About…" Storm considered her words for a long time, then decided to state it plainly. If the girl wanted to be treated like an adult, then so be it –"About your infatuation with Loki."

Kitty blushed all the way to her ears and shifted on the bed in the direction of the door, as if to get away from Storm. –"I'm not infatuated with him."

"Kitty," Storm sighed deeply and offered her a sympathetic gaze –"there is something you need to know about _attraction_ , and particularly about _sex_." Continued Aurora, ignoring the girl's denial and the fact that both of these words made her cringe –"You see, we exude _pheromones_ into the air in purpose of attracting our ideal partner. But this biological _animalistic_ attraction is only based on the physical compatibility between people, and our bodies is not all there is."

The girl seemed like she was about to erupt, but Storm knew it was important that she got this information somewhere for she was losing it, to all opinions and needed to be put back on track. –"Sometimes we find a person attractive and we don't even know why; sometimes it is the _bad guy_ that we're mostly intrigued with, because we _think_ that we wanna be treated badly, maybe because we're insecure, and maybe because we are angry with ourselves and we think we deserved to be punished-"

"Why are you using the plural form?" demanded Kitty.

"Well, I am just talking about people in general." Tried Storm, slightly caught off-guard.

"But you are not talking about _you,_ then don't use the _us!"_

"Okay, fair enough." Storm nodded solemnly –"Anyway, sometime a man and a woman choose to play a game that might look odd to the onlooker. It is a game of dominance and submission – each one of them could be playing any role, according to their preferences-"  

**_"I don't wanna listen to this crap!"_** snapped the girl and Storm was taken aback yet again, because this behavior was completely untypical.

" _Katherine_!"  she chided –"What has gotten into you?!"

"You can save your stupid lectures, I'm not retarded!"

"Kitty, please settle down… I'm only trying to find out… has Loki abused you in any way?" she put her hand on the girl's shoulder –"You need to know that he is not allowed to scare you like that. No one is allowed to s-"

With a low 'pop' sound Kitty phased downwards straight through the bed and left Storm alone in her room with her hand in the air.

*

Angel stood in the dorm's hallway, dripping from his hair and his shoulders and his coat barely containing his wings that weren't strapped. He lost the rubber band somewhere when he was climbing the barbed wire fence with his hands because the wind was too violent and kept pushing and tossing him in the opposite direction of his goal. He had to stick to the wall like an insect and drag himself upwards- his hands were now dirty and covered in blisters. Finally, when he was over the wall he inspected the surroundings and discovered that he had no idea where he was.  He wrapped his coat clumsily about him and considered asking around, but there wasn't a soul outside. He walked up many staircases in many buildings that all looked the same. The rain washed out all of his drunkenness and he was just a silly boy performing a very silly act of chivalry, which no one would appreciate but Loki.

It was building number 12 that had a sense of familiarity, because a sign next to the elevator said "FOAM PARTY- THIS FRIDAY!" – and he vaguely recalled Candice's face beaming next to that sign as he kissed her one time – but that sign could have been posted in all of the buildings, he had no way of knowing. He used the elevator to get to the 5th floor- at least that he remembered correctly, and his face lit up when he recognized a plant at the foot of the door, showing proudly a single yellow flower. Warren knocked on the door shyly and waited, head bowed and hands in his pockets.

A door opened, but it was not Candice's- it was the roommate's. The nosy little fat girl with the bob of sandy hair measured him disapprovingly –"It's after midnight. Some of us need our sleep."

"I came to see Candice." Angel shrugged apologetically –"Sorry if I woke you. Is she in?"

"I don't give a shit."

"Well-"

"Why don't you just text her, instead of showing up here in the dead of night like a _creepster_." She waved a flossing string at him.

"She won't answer my calls." Admitted Angel –"Would you just tell her I came by?"

"She went on a trip abroad with her parents." Blurted the roommate –"They went to _France_ to celebrate her graduation – not that she told me, she just _yelled_ it over the phone and I am forced to hear everything through these plaster walls, so."

"How long will she be gone for?" inquired Angel kindly, trying not to worsen her hostility.

"Dunno. Could be a week, could be two weeks… the longer the better. I probably won't remember you came by the time she returns." She chewed on her flossing string –"I can't say I'm sorry that she's gone for a while. All of them boys coming and going all the time… it was like a brothel, to be honest. Can't believe she managed to graduate while riding a dick the whole time. Anyways, good-night."

And another door was slammed in his face. Angel's eyes were open widely in shock for a second or two, then sighed and took off through the window of the hallway, casting his coat behind. Loki was nice, but he never should have taken his advice. The alien could not see how difficult it was for them mutants when nobody took them seriously, and those who did just wanted to eliminate them.

He flew in zigzags, humming to himself to erase the anguish, because there was nothing terrifying about being alone. It only became terrifying when there was another person involved, and Candice was… she was nothing, but another stop at the side of the road. He actually felt lighter with her gone, another sweet memory to indulge in when he was feeling nostalgic, or wanking, or when he was sipping some beer. And her face was… -

He landed crudely on the roof of the mansion and began working his way down to the lower floors by using the pipes and hopping from one balcony to the other- happy to see that his car was parking safely in its spot _Good old Lockster, way to go!_. There was a cut in his left wing that was bleeding and would not stop. He clenched his teeth as he plucked out a broken feather and threw it to the wind- usually that would solve the problem. People didn't realise this, but having wings demanded tons of grooming and if they suffered an injury the blood took a straining long period of time to congeal, as with birds, unless you put iron powder on it, and he was short. The broken feather also left a bald spot, which was a fashion disaster. He hated being unpresentable and scruffy looking, but he would not see Jean about it. Never. The woman was a nurse at best, and he needed to see a _vet_ , as much as he hated even thinking about it. Hated, hated it.

Angel climbed into his room through his open window. He wanted to sleep, but the pain in his wing bothered him, telling him that the damage was far more severe than he believed. He hit the shower instead and let the water wash over him, but the panic in his heart only grew as he saw the blood flowing angrily from the wound, unstoppable and acute, it painted everything red, including his calves and his toes. The sight made him dizzy and frightful, he steadied himself with an arm against the wall when a big round lump broke through the ceiling and crashed upon him like a meteor, sending him respectfully to the floor. A pile of shampoos and razorblades smashed on his head when he reached out for something to grab onto- and a hysterical girl was sitting in his lap- Kitty!- waving her arms about and wailing like a pig in a slaughter house.  

Then everything went dark.

*


	32. Wings of Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a lot happens for Kitty, Angel and Loki and in which Odin decides to see how his son is doing on Midgard and does not like what he finds out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soz for no sex in this one because plot and bla bla.

_Be my desire_   
_I'm a frustrated man_   
_Summon us for peace_   
_Do what we can_

_Feel my desire_   
_Favor the bold_   
_Some of us fall to the Earth_   
_These others roam_   
_Beseeched by desire_

_Come on baby_   
_You played me out_

_**[Interpol]** _

_Sleipnir_ kneeled as he arrived at the bridge to help his rider slip down from the saddle more easily. The beast was taught to perform the act a couple of centuries back, when the old man realized he will not again be able to jump off the destrier as he did in his youth, or when he was a mighty warrior. Slowly and unsurely Odin scrambled to the ground, using the horse's gargantuan neck for support and pushing away its muzzle when the colt attempted to chew on his beard. He was still only a baby.

"Off with ya, you idiotic critter!" rumbled the old man as he pulled his staff from the saddle and poked Sleipnir in the belly, so that he straightened on all eight legs and neighed disapprovingly. The beast was a gift from Loki, and he was a fine gift. It was also Loki who taught him to kneel as well as many other tricks, but his juvenile spirit was sometimes too exhausting for the old man.

"Greetings, Allfather." Said Heimdall the gatekeeper, his amber eyes never breaking from the swirling realms in the endless abyss below them, as was his duty.

"Good day to you, Heimdall." Replied Odin as he stepped closer to the edge of the canopy that was golden and glass. His one good eye was roving ineptly, because he could not see what the Shining God saw with his unique talent- everything and everywhere and always- to the smallest of details. That was his skill and his office.

"What brings you here, Sire, if I may ask? Anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can. I came here regarding my _son_."

Heimdall turned his head with surprise and gazed at the allfather without seeing him, his golden teeth showed when he spoke –"Loki is still in New-York, where he was pulled as he fell… Sire," Heimdall nodded –"I keep a steady eye on him. I have two, and one is allocated solely to the well being of the young prince."

"Yes, yes." Muttered Odin dismissively –"I have not sent him there to well-be."

"I am aware of that, my king. However, Thor appears here each morn, and –"

"Speaking of my first born," started Odin –"He came to me bearing news the other day, that Loki has found himself a mate. I would fancy knowing a little bit more about this relationship. Is it promising?"

"Promising, Sire?" asked Heimdall gently.

"Is it solid?"

"No, my king. It is not." Replied the gatekeeper and then added –"She is a mutant."

"Ah, of course she is. Clever, is she?"

"Aye, Sire." Replied Heimdall.

"Yes…" Odin spoke to himself –"She would have to be. So what brings them together?"

"Passion, sir."

Odin began shaking with laughter, and he laughed so hard that he had to lean on his staff and his lungs almost collapsed –"Passion!" he spat –"The boy has learnt nothing. Still following his cock, eh?"

The shining god was too dignified to respond to that.

"Well then, so be it." Said Odin still amused –"The prince found a mate to mate with."

"That is not the only thing he found, your majesty…" began Heimdall carefully –"He also found his _magic_."

Odin's smile was swiftly erased from his shrunken lips and he whispered "The swiveling _snake_ …" with something like appreciation, then he grabbed Heimdall by his shoulder. The height difference between the two Gods did not matter, because for all his shine and powers, Heimdall still feared his king.

"When did it happen?"

"Only yesterday, Sire…"

"Show me!" demanded the king –"Show him to me! What is he up to? I wish to _see_!" his one good eye was sparkling dangerously, burning like a furnace.

"Sire-"

"What is it, Heimdall?!" Odin growled –"Speak!"

"Sire, your son is _mating_ at the moment… Do you still wish to-"

"Nay!" the old man let go of the guard's shoulder –"does that a lot, does he?"

"Most of the time, Sire." Heimdall blushed behind his dark skin –"The mutant couldn't-"

"Spare me the specifics!" he snarled –"Send for me immediately when he isn't shoving his cock up some cunt or an arse-hole. _Sleipnir_!" he boomed and the big colt trotted forwards and kneeled at his feet, allowing him to climb over his back –"Let us hope this _mating_ does not produce another abomination as this ugly beast. The nine realms know that our household already has far too many. Away!" and he spurred the destrier back to the palace, the Bifrost shaking under his eight gigantic hooves.

*

"Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!! Kitty screamed like an ambulance siren at one AM, running through the corridors and phasing in and out of random rooms, one time arriving at Rogue's by mistake and seeing Loki's head buried between her thighs- which only increased the screaming that exceeded the decibels known to the human ear, and when she phased into the _safe_ – where the money was kept- the house alarm also went off with an up and down cry and winking red lights – so the mansion was at a total brouhaha.

It was Jean who was wise enough to remain calm about the chaotic event as she stepped majestically out of her room, snug in her sexy red pajamas that were made of satin. She crossed her arms patiently, standing at the foot of the staircase.

"It's Kitty again." She said to Storm who arrived there panting.

"I know, it was my bad." Offered Storm –"We had a chat and I kinda overdid it. Got her cornered, it was me."

"No." snapped Jean –"It was her blunt and spectacular _stupidity_. Again. Frankly, I do not see why we even bother with this teenage catastrophe. She is clearly out of her mind, and it appears critical."

"Shouldn't we try and catch her?" suggested Storm.

Jean snorted –"That would be a waste of our time and energy. The child has been running around every part of the mansion, she is bound to show up here sooner or later. Plus none of us is fast enough to catch her- if Peter* was here, then perhaps we had a chance."

"Yeah, alright." Said Storm grimly and leaned on the banister.

"Don't blame yourself, Aurora." Continued Jean  "If you ask me, it is all due to _Loki_. He messed up her mind with horniness and hormones- not that she was intelligent to begin with-"

"What did I do now?" inquired Loki benevolently – he appeared in the hallway to join them with Rogue at his side. He was wearing nothing but his leather uniform trousers and Jean had to acknowledge that he was a very handsome man indeed – it was kinda hard to blame Kitty. In addition, he practically _reeked_ of sex, not that she had to smell it, and not that she had to use her telepathic skills. It was simply pouring all over him, and Rogue- the tart was in her slutty dress still, but she had no bra on _or_ panties underneath. Jean could tell. And she had her _collar_ wrapped around her neck- which was a total giveaway.

"Nothing important. What are you two doing here?" she barked at them.

"We were raised by an _alarm_." Explained Loki pleasantly –"that is still going. Were we not supposed to respond?"

"It's a false alarm." Said Jean with agitation, and with a wave of her hand she silenced the wails. There were only Kitty's howls now, sounding like a distant echo that was flowing through the mansion's walls as if the place was haunted.

"Oh?"

"We've got it covered. You can go back to your room and carry on fucking."

"Jean!" called Storm.

"Your mouth needs a-washing, Gray!" Rogue took one step towards Jean, but Loki grabbed her by her hip –"Don’t." he said softly, and Marie went pliant and moved back to stand next to him. _He had control over her._ Disgusting.

"What's going on?" said Scott, who came in running. It really was embarrassing for Jean, for everyone to know that they did not share a bedroom tonight. She came out of hers, he came out of his- anyone with eyes could notice that.

"It's Kitty," answered Storm –"She's phasing again, out of control-"

"Perhaps the Kitten needs a _collar_." Remarked Loki, terribly smug.

"You shut up, Asgardian." Warned Jean –"and stay out of it! You've done damage enough."

"I was thinking about this one with a _little bell_ hanging from it." Elaborated Loki nevertheless –"Then the Kitten will not have to scream to let us know that she's coming."

"We get _the idea_."  Storm glared at him.

Bobby arrived in next, breathing hard and examining all the people present –"Wha-"

"Kitty." Loki volunteered to fill him in –"She felt like playing a wild ghost-chase-"

"It's _goose-chase_."

"They're all the same to me." Shrugged Loki and with a yawn he took a seat on the step and pulled Rogue to sit on his thigh, utterly shameless. Jean wanted to say something about this provocation, especially when she noticed that one of Loki's hands was massaging Rogue's collar possessively- but then she remembered it was meant to provoke and added nothing.

"I assume this isn't a slumber party." Said the Professor and wheeled into the living room with unexpected exuberance, halting at the foot of the stairs. All of the X-Men became self-aware and straightened their postures, including the promiscuous couple who immediately rose to their feet and stopped their nauseating flirting. _Thank goodness._

"Thank you for coming, Professor." Jean's tone was respectable –"Sorry to have woken you at this time."

"Any time is a good time if my assistance is required. I take it that your conversation with Katherine was fruitless, Aurora?"

"Sorry, Professor. I did my best."

"Yes," he said kindly –"I'm sure you have. By the way, where is our Warren?"

Everyone looked at each other with a sudden alertness, but no one seemed to know. Jean was suspicious of the alien, but the latter tried to ring him and then shrugged and said lowly –"He won't answer his phone… he might not be in…"

"His _car_ is here." Said Charles –"I can spot it in the parking lot from where I sit- just looking out the window, although my vision is not as sharp at it used to be. Is that not his _chick-magnet_ right there?"

"Yes, yes it is." The alien licked his lips. Jean noticed how Charles's eyes were poking into Loki's mind and how the alien flinched, but he didn't seem scared, just intensely amazed- and his green eyes expanded with awe.

"Go search for him, Loki Laufeyson, I believe he is somewhere around the mansion."

"Yes, Sire. Right away."  Loki bowed gracefully and gave Rogue's hand a little squeeze before galloping up the stairs. Jean truly didn't know what to make of that scene. Why on earth would Xavier trust him? She would give anything for a peek into his consciousness at the moment, but Charles was much stronger than her and their telepathy only worked one way, unless she was asking for access due to an emergency or unless he chose to send her a deliberate message. She remained unknowing and frustrated.

Another deranged howl resonated through the walls. The professor sighed.

"And now for the reason we're all gathered here." He said and shut his eyes –"I shall attempt to reach Katherine's mind and affect her to come down here. Bobby, if you please."

"Of course, Professor." Bobby came to stand next to Xavier and reached out his hands at a ready- they glowed blue and covered in frost –"I am prepared." He said.

"Good."

None of them could tell what was going on in their leader's head, but they could all see that he was concentrating. His eyeballs were shifting behind his closed eyelids and after a couple of minutes the wailing stopped and was replaced with a blessed quietness.

"She's coming." The Professor announced lowly –"and she's very sensitive. Try not to scare her."

"Mmhmm." Nodded Bobby and went to hide in the shades, behind the banister. Storm was tearing up, which was pathetic. Rogue, on the other hand, seemed completely disinterested in the situation and her eyes were stuck on the doors of the second floor, waiting for her lover to reappear. How would he even search for Angel when he couldn't open any of the rooms? – wondered Jean- perhaps Xavier was also becoming infected with irrationality. Jean huffed- but then Kitty showed up.

She looked frailer than ever, soaked to the bone as she was coming down the staircase, one shaky step after the other, eyes big and terrified.

"Come on, Kitty-" coaxed Storm with a whisper, as if talking to an actual cat –"Come here, it's alright, we won't harm you…"

The words, in spite of their softness- made Kitty stop where she was. There were only two more steps to go till she reached the Professor, but she was hesitant and even more frightened. She shook her head from side to side as in slow motion, lips shuddering, and Jean was seriously losing her patience. All she wanted to do was jump at the stupid girl and slap her stupid face as many times as required to get some sense back to her melting brain, so they could all go back to sleep again- but then Bobby was resourceful enough to leap over the banister just in time and grab Kitty into a freezing embrace from behind, immobilizing her limbs with his touch of ice.

"It's okay." He said to Kitty over her ear and Jean blinked, because she sensed the boy was getting a sexual thrill out of it. Was sex the only thing everyone in the mansion were ever interested in?! Kitty whined pathetically but was unable to move anything but her face. The Professor opened his eyes, droplets of sweat crawling down his smooth forehead –"She is in too much of a shock to talk to us right now, I'm afraid. Take her to my study, Bobby, and wait for me there."

"Yes, Sir." Responded Bobby and heaved the giant icicle of Kitty on his shoulder, walking away with the self-importance of a soldier.

Storm was wiping the running tears out of her yellowy eyes.

"I can fix it, Aurora." Promised the professor –"It's nothing but a trigger in her brain, that goes a long way back, to when she was a child of 3."

"Are you sure it's nothing permanent?" asked Jean harshly.

"Not at all." Replied Xavier with a calming smile, that wiped off as quickly as it emerged –"But I believe we have more pressing issues." He said gravely. They all turned their heads in the direction of his gaze, discovering Loki dragging the bleeding Angel down the steps. Only a sheet around his body. Rogue came to assist unasked and supported the Angel under his other armpit. The mutant seemed lifeless as they both laid him gently on the carpet, but he was breathing. There was a deep cut in his left wing and a few feathers were missing- _ripped_ \- Jean felt a pang of pity in her heart, something for the good old early days, when they were almost lovers and she was almost innocent. _Kids._ They were only kids. But they didn't know it…

"What happened to him!?" she pierced Loki with accusing eyes.

"I do not know, woman." Replied the alien –"as you can see, he's not very talkative!"

"And what are you waiting for?! Take him to the clinic." She said in a hurried voice, because seeing a bleeding life form always made her want to step in, to interfere, to _help_. It was part of her nature, and not even her ugly mood of late could change that.

"No." said Xavier quietly, and his expression darkened –"It's his bird parts that need to be taken care of. He needs to see a _vet_."

Loki looked at the professor with something like worry. Jean just couldn't comprehend it.

"Fortunately, there is someone I know." The professor wheeled closer to Loki –"Can you drive, Asgardian?"

"Yes, Sire." Said Loki breathlessly. Jean's jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"Do you know how to use your phone for directions?"

"Indeed, Sire." Answered Loki again. He was trembling slightly as Xavier handed him a stack of dollar bills. This was practically an invitation for the alien to take the money and run, run away for good and leave Angel for dead on the curb. Jean wanted to scream-

"I'll take him!" Scott stepped forward. –"It'll be much faster on my bike-"

"I could take him, with Rogue-" said Storm –"we can fly-"

"No." said Xavier again –"It needs to be a smooth journey, not a rickety one, in the blizzard. Where is your common sense? Loki will take him and that is my final decision."

And with that, Loki loaded the Angel on his back and walked towards the front door that was held open for him by Rogue. The whole group watched vigilantly as he unlocked the car (since when did he have the keys?!) and placed Angel in the back seat, and Jean thought that this, for sure, was the last time they were going to see the feathered man.

"I will text you the address and the phone number." Said Xavier.

*

[*Peter Maximoff, known as "Quicksilver", who can move faster than anything]


	33. The Devil in the Detail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some soap opera stuff for Angel, some strange sex for Jean and Scott (!?!?) and some cool sex for Rogue and Loki coz they're the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in a 3-4 chapters we will be reaching the end (sniff sniff)

_I left my shoes under your bed_

_but I left my body outside_  
_How did I make it back into this mess?_  
_I kept telling myself the temptations would do me in_

 _And they did_  
_If you could you keep it together_  
_For a moment in time_  
_Then you'd see that I'd be_  
_Your excuse for a lover_  
_Your own mountain to climb_

_You would see_

_**[Snowmine]** _

 

Loki drove for the second time this night, but it was nothing fun, because he was panicking. He was rarely panicked, but the Angel was pale and the smell of blood was heavy in the confined car. He followed the instructions of the mechanical robo-lady coming from his phone with such attention, that there was nothing else on his mind but her monotonous voice.

"Hold on, Birdman…" he said as he turned a corner –"We'll fix your duvet, and if we're unsuccessful I will chop it off. How's that?"  

The narrow streets he was driving were filthier and more and more crowded, the car barely fit through the alleys and it was running over rolling, rotting vegetables in a site that looked like a market area, and then dragging along a cardboard box. Beggars were wandering aimlessly like spirits in the rain, hooded and blindly walking on, crouching below flickering neon signs. He was afraid.

"A one-winged man, now that is a curious mutation indeed."

Once the robo-lady announced that they arrived at the location he parked the car without thinking. Well, of course, it was an expensive car and since he drove into these dubious alleys he had seen no cars driving by- he knew someone might steal it or wreck it for jealousy, and that it was dangerous- but Angel's life was more important right now.

He opened the door and picked up Angel - making certain that the sheet was securely wrapped around his waist- without even feeling his weight. Now that his powers were seeping back, these tasks were easy- only that the massive wings were dragging behind them limply in the murky puddles of the alley. Loki frowned as he locked the car and carried him into the derelict building. He stopped in the lobby and took out his phone, dialing the number that Xavier gave him.

"HELLO?" there was a woman's voice on the other end, and she was shouting for some reason. The voice seemed to double itself and to emanate from the roof as well as from the receiver.  

"Hello." Said Loki –"I got this number from Charles Xavier-"

"HELLO? HELLO?" cried the woman again.

"HELLO!" Loki tried shouting in return  -" I AM HERE WITH A WOUNDED G-"

Somewhere above them a chain-lock clunked and a door opened with a noisy creak. Loki lifted his gaze to spot a small round woman in her 70s with two silver braids- who stepped out to the staircase and waved at him.  "Yes, yes, there is no need to _yell_ and wake up the dead. Come on up!". He put his phone back in his pocket and rolled his eyes as he carried the unconscious Angel to their destiny, heart thumping.

"Oh my, oh my- tsk tsk tsk" the energetic lady welcomed them inside and shut the door behind them. It was a small apartment that contained perhaps thousands of books- all enclosed in packed shelves in neat rows that were loaded all the way to the ceiling.  "I usually don't receive patients in here, but sometimes there isn't much of a choice, hmm?" she walked them to the kitchen and pointed at the dining table –"put him right here- on his belly-"

Loki raised an eyebrow, but the woman clapped her hands to hurry him up –"C'mon don't stare at me like a cow. I operated a goat on this table already, my late husband is _too late_ to mind."

"Alright." Shrugged Loki and unloaded the Angel unto the table as the lady went to the bedroom and returned with a night-light that she placed on the counter just above the sleeping Birdman. Loki feared that the miserable bulb could hardly emit enough light to help her examine him, but as she plugged it in instead of the kettle a bright and blinding light shone from the lamp and flooded the kitchen, as if it was a tiny sun that the woman possessed.

"Hmm." She said as she aimed the light beam towards Angel's left wing –"Oh, what a pretty bird he is!"

"Yeah." Muttered Loki without noticing.

"Do me a favor, darling." She asked Loki –"Go to the bathroom- there should be a basket with some of my equipment right by the door. Would you please fetch it?"

"Sure." The trickster walked into the bathroom and almost had a minor heart attack when he spotted a giant tortoise splashing about in the tub- the reptile gaped its mouth at Loki and puffed intimidatingly. He stumbled backwards and ran into the door –"There is-" he started-

"Oh, that's just Freddie, don't mind him." Came the woman's sing-song voice from the kitchen –"he's all bark and no brains!"

"Fine." Loki frowned and ducked to get the basket as the reptile thrashed in the bath and snapped at him, almost managing to bring his grisly head over the rim. The trickster snatched the basket and fled from the scene, slamming the door behind him. He returned to the kitchen quite annoyed and placed the basket on the counter. The lady was already spraying something on Angel's wings –"Disinfectant." She explained casually and straightened a pair of glasses- that were not there before- on her nose as she peeked into the wound, that wasn't bleeding anymore –"Well, this isn't a catastrophe, and not an emergency. That is the good news." She told Loki with a reassuring smile –"Here-" she pointed at a dotted line stretching from Angel's spine almost to the center of his left wing. –"you see? It's as if someone scratched him with a jagged knife, or maybe a barbed wire, pulling a couple of feathers in the process…" she was answering questions that Loki never asked, as though he was her acolyte –"you see?"

"Yes. I see."

"Well." She slid her glasses over her hairline and put her hands on her hips –"I don't reckon he lost too much blood for it. The wound doesn't go that deep, only broke the skin and took some of them pretty feathers- that could have caused the bleeding, but again, this isn't a critical condition."

"Oh." Said Loki and squinted his eyes as he studies the Angel's face under his wet locks –"Then why has he fainted?"

"I'm not sure. We can wake him up and ask him."

"Can we do that?" wondered Loki.

"Yes, of course. I only want to run a few other checks before we do that, and I wanna glue him up, also."

" _Glue_ him?" Loki was confused.

"Yes, don't worry." She laughed a little –"It's made for that purpose. Only gonna take me two seconds." She rummaged through the basket and pulled out a tube –"Just to close the holes." The lady squeezed the glue into each of the red dots decorating Angel and hummed when he twitched in his sleep. –"Such an interesting mutation…" she muttered –"I've always wanted to work at Xavier mansion, but he keeps telling me that there's no need because most mutants can take care of themselves. How is the old bugger?"

"Erm… he's fine. I guess."

"Went to school together, me and him- did he tell you?"

"Yes," lied Loki because that was his nature –"said it was the best time of his life."

"Of course it was." The lady capped the tube and went to feel Angel's arms and legs, searching for other injuries –"He had his legs back then, and his hair! Was a naughty fellow, your Xavier. Hahaha. Always popular with the ladies." Her hands went to Angel's neck and Loki gulped as his eyes traced the delicate blue veins shifting under the skin of his friend.

"So… are you two lovers?" she inquired kindly.

"Me and Xavier??"

"No, silly-billy." She chuckled –"I mean you and this Michelangelo masterpiece."

"Oh." Muttered Loki –"No, not yet."  He did not know who Michelangelo was, but he naturally assumed that by 'masterpiece' she referred to Warren. And then he blushed, because he realized both him and Angel were almost completely naked, and that replying that they weren't lovers seemed achingly far-fetched.

"Hmm… there's a bump right here, at the back of his head." Said the lady and put her glasses back on –"That's nasty." Her face darkened, and Loki's face darkened in response –"Someone hit him?"

"I have no idea." Said Loki, but she glared at him suspiciously –"Valhalla…" he whispered –"Woman, I would _never_ -!"  

"The name's Shirley." She said in a tough tone –"How long has he been out for?"

"I do not know… maybe 20-25 minutes… "

"That is a long time indeed. I'll have to run an X-ray, see if there's damage to the skull or the brain. You wait right here 'till I bring the machine."

Loki grabbed a chair and sat down, because his knees buckled all of a sudden and wiping his brow out of instinct, he found that he was sweating. He placed his hand on Angel's nape. Loki's powers were returning, but he had no healing skills. All he could do was pray.

*

Jean Gray was worried. Most of all, she was worried for her career as Xavier's soon-to-be replacement. The man was getting older and less capable by the day, and all she did in his temporary absence, with all of his powers at hand- was making other people miserable and scared. Perhaps it had to do with her _Dark Phoenix_ attitude, lurking deep inside of her. But it could have been something else. Could have been just plain and simple unhappiness, and she wasn't happy. Well, most people were unhappy most of the time- she told herself- but they didn't wish to make others unhappy because of it, and in her case… well. The writing was on the wall. Jean was _working at it._ And what did the others make of her? That she was a total bitch.

And everything that happened, everything was her fault. She needed to keep a close eye on Kitty, but she didn't. She needed to let the thing between Rogue and Loki go, but she didn't. She needed to listen to Aurora's better judgement, but she was too proud. She needed to notice, that Angel was missing when the alarm went off and everyone gathered – but she was too preoccupied. What with? With staring at Rogue and Loki making out. _Gods._

What kind of a commander will she make? _A lousy one._

That is why Xavier was leaving her out. He preferred _Loki and Bobby_ to take care of things now. She was sitting in her bed and reading an article about eastern philosophies on her laptop- but she has read the last paragraph on page 15 maybe 15 times. The T.V was on, broadcasting a talk-show where the host was gay, and the guests were flamboyant because it was late enough at night. She wondered if they were going to bring a mutant guest next-  and then the door to her chambers flung open. She didn't even recall leaving it unlocked- and her man was on the threshold.

"Scott!" she closed her legs and put the laptop away –"What are you doing here??"

"Right." He said heavily –"What am I doing here. Because it's so weird for a boyfriend to seek the company of his girl, isn't it?"

"I didn't mean it like that." She muttered and got out of bed –"It's just been a really rough night."

"No." he said and his shoulders slumped –"I am sick of it. I am sick of you ignoring me! Sick of you acting as if I don't exist!"

"C'mon, Summers." She stuttered and stepped closer to him, a tremor of terror fluttering in her stomach for fear that he might leave. Then she would truly have nothing –"You're my guy. Always have been. You know it."

"Yes." He said ironically –"you dress up in these sexy night gowns-" he pawed at her outfit and she let out a yelp and stepped back –"Scott!"

"What for?!" he yelled at her –"Not for me, for sure."

"Scott!"

"You flinch from my touch." He said and lowered his head –"I don't deserve it. I love you, Jean, don't you get it!?"

"I get it." She said and straightened her ruffled pajamas –"And I love you back. But I also believe that you should get a grip, because you are acting cra-"

She never managed to complete the sentence as he boyfriend charged forwards and placed his mouth on hers.

"Mmmm!!!" she hit his shoulders frantically and squirmed in his grip, but he did not relent and walked the two of them backwards until they hit a chair and fell clumsily to the floor together. Her precious expensive pajamas were torn from her shoulders and chest, and her breasts were exposed – which was humiliating. She wanted to scream for help, but her boyfriend reached between her legs and pushed two fingers into her –"You used to like it…" he said miserably –"You used to _love me."_

"Yes, yes, I did…" answered Jean and ceased her resisting. She let him penetrate her angrily as he did, fucking her into the hard floor- and she felt nothing. No love nor passion anymore. She just lay there and allowed him to finish inside her with the meager trickle of sperm to suggest that he also wasn't that much into her. Serves him right to know that. As least _that_ he deserved…

"We are over." He said as he zipped back his pants.

"Glad you've noticed that." Said she and rose from the floor –"Do not come here anymore."

*

"Chaos." Said Heimdall to his master –"He put the entire group in total chaos, as you can see."

"That is his expertise." Replied Odin –"I care not for the Midgardians, I only don't wish to see anything disrupted in my realms."

"Well, it is disrupted. Wherever he turns, things get out of hand." Concluded Heimdall and stared into the abyss –"When you've collected your son from Jotunheimen, when you adopted him, you've also agreed to be responsible for him and for his deeds."

"And when, I wonder, does the responsibility end?" said Odin, mostly to himself.

"Never." Replied Heimdall –"He is your son, and you will forever remain his father."

"Blast it." Spat the old man.

"I think you should go down there."

"Yes, yes perhaps that is my duty." Agreed the Allfather –"I hope I do not find him mating."

"Yes, one can only hope, after all." Said the gate-keeper and began rolling the spheres by the power of his mighty muscles –"I wish you a pleasant journey, my king."

"I wish you to suck on a donkey prick!" retorted the king, as he spun uncontrollably.

*

Rogue slept. She fell asleep with her door half-open, hoping for Loki to return before dawn, but then the hours passed and he did not come back. She wished not to bother him on his phone, because the Angel seemed in such a bad shape when he was assigned to take him to the vet, and everything else was so fucking _insane_. And yes, things in the mansion were never cool and calm, but this- this night- was out of order in so many ways. She couldn’t only think about herself, so she didn't.

She fell asleep on her stomach and clutching the blanket beneath. The last thing she remembered before she drifted was hearing the wild pigeon cooing his morning song- then she was fast asleep.

A caress at her hips drew her from her dream – she tried to rise when she realized there was a weight on top of her, pressing her down to the mattress. Rogue moaned sleepily and fumbled to grab the hands stroking her –"Loki…?"

"Yes, I am here, mutant." His velvet voice on her ear made her feel like she was but a gust of air, she felt so light- keeping her eyes closed she didn't mind him pulling up her dress again. There was nothing beneath it but her skin, she didn't bother getting dressed after they were disturbed by the house alarm.

"It will only take a moment, don't wake up." Said he and drove into her, filling her. She fisted the sheets and cried as he did, muttering 'yes' and 'no' into the pillowcase- which were both the same. Loki kissed her head and her neck, and her shoulders, then came moments later spilling a warm gush into her willing body. A few spasms going through his muscles once he was done. He flipped her on her side and spooned her, still inside her, and it was sweet. Rogue couldn't even tell if she was dreaming.

"I will make it up to you tomorrow." Said he.

"I don't care. It was perfect." She said, cuddling his hands –"Freakin' perfect… You're just… the man of my dreams."

"Am I?" Loki chuckled –"I am sure that's a lie, Marie."

"How's Angel?"

"He should be fine, he has to stay there for a few days, and I'm the main suspect for his condition…" his words were bitter –"sleep." That was an order.

"Yes, I think I will…" Rogue felt Loki's fingers stroking back and forth her collar again, and knew that he was putting himself to sleep with that- like a baby. It made her smile. Lying as she did, in his arms, with him inside her, was simply wonderful. And she was happy. She didn't crave anything else in the world.

*


	34. Gods & Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some repent for Scott and Jean, some sex for Rogue and Loki :P, then a message from home he got unexpecdedly....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nights in white satine. And we're reaching the end.

_In the land of gods and monsters_  
_I was an angel, lookin' to get fucked hard_  
_Like a groupie incognito posing as a real singer_  
_Life imitates art_  
_You got that medicine I need_  
_Dope, shoot it up straight to the heart please_  
_I don't really wanna know what's good for me_  
_God's dead, I said 'baby that's alright with me'_

_Fuck yeah give it to me, this is heaven, what I truly want_  
_It's innocence lost_  
_Innocence lost_  
**_[Lana Del-Rey]_ **

"A concussion." Sighed Xavier –"Well, that is unfortunate."  
"Not only unfortunate, but also suspicious as it turns out." Remarked Loki cynically and looked Charles straight in the eye over his desk. It was mid-morning and they were in the Professor's study. The old man was interviewing him about last night's events. Well, the ones that did not involve sex at least.  
"There is nothing mysterious about a blow to the head caused by a tumble in the shower." Xavier's tone was measured –"I also happen to know what triggered that fall, and it had nothing to do with you, Prince of Asgard."  
Loki's eyes dropped to his hands that were laced together in his lap.  
"As a matter of fact," the Professor continued –"You have functioned astoundingly well under the circumstances."  
"Thank you, Sire." Loki said lowly, because words of gratitude were not something he would normally let out – nor get in response to his actions.  
"Then why is she keeping him there, I wonder." Hummed Xavier.  
"The official reason is to be absolutely sure that there are no more serious ramifications to his injury; but if you ask me the lady is bored and lonely." Said Loki in an even voice and gazed at the dark clouds hanging out the window.  
"What makes you say that?" The professor raised an eyebrow.  
"She keeps a giant reptile in the bathtub, and her mate had died a while ago." Answered Loki indifferently, and his eyes flickered as he noticed a strange greenish lightening flashing in the distance that seemed rather familiar.  
"Her mate?" Charles was amused.  
"Husband. Spouse. Whatever you wish to call it."  
"I see."  
"She also kicked me out as soon as he began coming around. I believe she did not want him to interact with me, she had the notion we were lovers."  
"And is that such a strange assumption, your majesty?"  
It has been a while since Loki heard his rightful title pronounced out loud and without playfulness or mockery. He was thrown out of balance for a fraction of a second, because it sounded uncannily nice.  
"Not at all." He replied simply.  
"Then what was it that bothered you?"  
"As I said, the fact she implied I was the one who damaged him. I did not appreciate that one bit. In any case, I wish to go over there and see him this afternoon if I may, Sire."  
"Of course." Charles nodded.  
Loki wanted to say thank you again, but it seemed too much to say it twice in a single conversation, unless he was talking to his mum. He fumbled in his pocket as he stood up and tossed the stack of bills on the desk –"She would not accept payment."  
"Oh?"  
"Said if you were going to give her money, you should come by in person. Kept talking about your time in some academy together."  
"Oh." Xavier pursed his thin lips –"and what did you say?"  
"I said that she will always be the love of your life and that you were having trouble sleeping at night for thinking of her."  
Charles burst into a hearty laughter and tossed his bald head back. Loki smirked in return –"Clever boy." Said the Professor when he could breathe again –"You are free to attend your training now."  
"Sir." Loki gave a half-bow and stepped out of the study. A loud crack of thunder seemed to explode precisely over his head as he walked into the fields for his riding session. He froze for a whole minute and studies the skies with a curious glint in his eyes.  
*  
It was lunchtime and Kitty was missing, but nobody asked about her to Jean's relief. Whoever cooked the food had done a much better job than the howling cunt- because they served spaghetti and meatballs in rich gravy that smelled delicious, and Jean thought it must have been Storm who took the responsibility upon her. However, after two or three bites off the food she realized she wasn't that hungry because her chest was pressing hard on her stomach and intestines. She kept quiet and never looked at the others around the table, although she did see them. In particular, she could see even with her gaze stuck in her plate how Loki- wet and dripping from a riding session in the rain- was touching shoulders with Rogue. And this – it wasn't even obscene like their previous mutual fondling – it was merely a sweet gesture, and yet it upset her.  
She became more agitated when she heard the engine of Scott's motorcycle in the driveway, knowing that he was back from the grocery shopping he was sent to do downtown. As the front door opened and the wiping of wet boots on the doormat sounded – she rose from the table and left silently, without clearing her dishes and cutlery.  
There was the dropping of heavy parcels and paper bags, and then his footsteps were following her, chasing her, and it wasn't her imagination. She began quickening her pace as she took the hallway that lead to the pool, tears forming in her eyes- but she would not cry. She swallowed the tears and kept on marching blindly-  
"Jean!" his voice was like a transmission from another star, and it gave her the chills. She started skipping, then switched to jogging.  
"JEAN!!!"  
She ran over the wall-to-wall carpet of the hallway, the smell of damp wood tickling her nostrils, and she pushed open the heavy door to the pool-area and came to a halt near the ladder- the air was laden with chlorine and steam.  
"For crying out loud, JEAN!" Scott pushed the swinging door just a second later, barging inside- and threw his fist into the wall a couple of times –"Fuck! I only want to talk!"  
"Do not come near me. I'm warning you, Cyclops!"  
"Cyclops!" he called and his voice broke –"I… I am Cyclops now to you?" – then he took a step towards her- big mistake. Jean blasted him with a telekinetic shock that lifted him from the ground and dunked him into the water with a big splash! – her ex-boyfriend tossed and raved pointlessly in the waters, but she held him under the surface so that only a string of bubbles blew upwards and popped soundlessly over the tides he was making.  
She held him under for a minute, then pulled him out and let him take a breath –"Jean!"- he was gulping and gasping for air- No. she decided that she did not wish to hear his voice, so she sunk him down once more. His thrashing grew more violent and hysterical, but her grip on him was solid and she gazed impassively at his futile attempts to free himself. The tears that she never shed kept stinging, but she ignored them. She kept him down for over a minute this time, and when she sensed he was weakening she pulled him out and allowed him to breathe, then with a swoosh of her hand she made him crash against the wall of the pool- so that the breath he just took was knocked out of his lungs. Scott gurgled horridly and clasped the edges of the pool with his shaking hands –"Jeh-…"  
"Don't try to speak, you will make it worse." Said she –"I don't want you to speak to me."  
"Jean…" he cried, choking –"I am sorry… I am sorry for last night, I don't know what-"  
Jean sunk him under for the third time. She looked at his feet kicking frantically, his strong shoulders- the shoulders that she used to adore- crumbling and twisting under the forced currents and the vapors. She watched a few spasms shooting through him and then he went limp- his brown hair floating over his head and his body swaying gently underwater. She wiped a single tear from the corner of her eye and then hoisted him with her telekinetic powers and dumped him upon the bank. As she made her way out, she kicked him in the ribs and watched him squirm and spewing out water, then rolling onto his back with his hand on his stomach and struggling to breathe. He no more wished to speak. Good, because she didn't want to hear him.  
She left him there and went back to her training.  
*  
Loki was kissing Rogue hungrily as he was banging her against the wall of the attic. They've only just discovered this room and it was a treasure indeed. Its best attribute being the fact that no one came in there, except for perhaps Kitty, if she was experiencing one of her stupid running-through-walls seizures. Loki held Marie's face in his palms and slowed down as he traced her lips with his tongue, taking his time.  
"Mmmm-" Rogue moved in to take his mouth in hers but he backed away –"impatient little vixen…" said he.  
"Impatient??" whined Rogue with frustration –"Loki, I was about to cum twice already and you stopped me!"  
"My point exactly." He confirmed and adjusted himself inside her, drawing out a lovely longing moan –"You want more?"  
"If I say yes, you're gonna say no." she sulked, and he kissed her pouting lips briskly.  
"You know me so well." He sighed in feigned sympathy –"but you don't really have a choice as you can only say 'yes', remember?"  
"I remember." Said Rogue, rolling her eyes- but then giving out a hitched cry as he suddenly lifted her and threw her over a pile of cardboard boxes, coated in cobwebs.  
"Loki!!!"  
"What is it?" not expecting an answer, he lunged in again and pushed into her with renewed stamina, holding both her wrists in his hands and keeping her stable on the toppling mound that could not support them for too long- they both rolled to the dirty wooden floor, laughing.  
"This is- by far- the worst lovemaking-" started Rogue.  
"Again, she doubts me." Uttered Loki and then grabbed her neckless, pulling at it lightly –"Let us get rid of that old thing, hmm? Is it not the time?"  
"It was my mother's-" insisted the mutant.  
"Lies." He whispered in a snaky voice that made her shudder, then gave an inconsiderate thrust into her moisture, and had her clutching his shoulder with her one free hand, stashing her face in his chest- her warm breath sending ripples of guilty pleasure all over his body.  
"Ah, but I will teach you not to lie to me, Marie." He promised –"Nothing but the truth will come out those lovely lips." And so with two more efficient and cruddy moves- he spilled inside her whilst still holding the chain – then broke away with a grunt.  
"Fuck." Said Rogue –"If you keep on like that-"  
"I won't." he kissed her deeply and languidly, pulling out webs from her hair as he used his other hand to put his cock back in place and close his trousers. –"Wait for me this night in your bed with nothing on but your collar."  
"Fine." She spat –"but it better be good, Space-Man! Oh, crap, the collar- I gotta go to practice-" she came to her feet, completely naked- and pressed the button on her collar. It clicked open obediently and slid from her neck- leaving a pink and bubbly rash on the skin of her throat where it was. Rogue scratched at it absent mindedly and started collecting her clothes and squirming into them –"So what time? Like 10? Midnight?"  
Loki swallowed because he felt ashamed for what the collar was doing to her. She wanted to be touched so badly, that she didn't care when it was hurting her. He made a mental note to talk to her about it.  
"Yes."  
"Yes what?" said she, staring at him with befuddlement, her shoes clutched in her hand.  
"Yes, My lady."  
*  
It was late afternoon and Loki was on his way to see the recovering Angel. He didn't take the car this once, because last night when he came back to it, the side-mirrors were ripped and there was a dent in the driver's door. He did not wish to take that risk again because he knew Angel cared tremendously for his stupid car. So he walked.  
Although the clouds above him were ominous, there was no rain, and he was strolling the backstreets with a heavy black raincoat he borrowed from Storm, using his phone for directions- when a flash of lightening almost blinded him, and a minor crackling sound resulted in his brother facing him, looking sullen. Loki blinked and looked about him, to see that no one was there but them.  
"You haven't responded to my messages." Boomed Thor. His blonde hair matted by rain and ashes- from his electrical storms.  
"Your messages?" wondered Loki. Seeing his brother after so long made him feel uncomfortable. He had already gotten used to being on Midgard, he actually liked it, and his brother was a poor reminder of the poor life that awaited him in the clouds- being second best, being blamed for every single mishap, being humiliated all the time- he didn't miss that.  
"I sent you messages, with thunder and lightning- to get your attention." Insisted his oaf of a brother.  
"Well, you've got my attention now." Said Loki –"However, I am in a hurry, so be quick about it."  
"Father is looking for you." Said Thor gravely –"He came down to Midgard to collect you."  
"To collect me." Barked Loki –"I am not an object to be collected, and I like it down here, in fact. I wish to stay. I am certain no one should miss me up there."  
"I miss you, brother." Said Thor, shifting his massive weight from one leg to the other and blushing like a child.  
"Well… then deal with it." Said Loki and he was aiming to continue on his way, when Thor arrested him with a hand on his shoulder –"Brother-" said Thor –"Our father is already on Midgard, searching for you… I made my best to delay him. I delivered him to _Belgium_ …" the big giant was about to cry so Loki patted him on his stupid head –"There, there…" he said –"no harm done. You know the old man is a mean bastard when he wants to be."  
"Yeah, I know." Said Thor –"but he will be angry."  
"Let him be angry, then." Said Loki kindly –"He's always angry with me anyway."  
"Right." Said the God of Thunder, who was a blithering mess. Loki gathered him into a loose embrace –"I will handle him, not to worry." Loki released his brother and gave him a reassuring grin.  
"But-"  
"But what?" Loki turned one last time before leaving.  
"But what about me?"  
"You're the heir to the throne, Thor." Said Loki impatiently –"You'll do just fine. Thank you for warning me. I'll see you on your wedding."  
"I'm not-" said Thor, but Loki was already gone.  
*


	35. A Rational Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's some fun time for Angel and Loki and sexy time for Loki with Rogue :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is dedicated to my loyal friend and literary mentor, Selena, who also picked the music for it <3  
> chapter is one of my favouties indeed!

_From that cloud, number nine_  
_Danger starts the sharp incline_  
_And such sad regrets_  
_Ohh as those starry skies_  
_As they swiftly fall_  
_Make no mistake_  
_You shan't escape_  
_Tethered and tied_  
_There's nowhere to hide from me_  
_**All mine**_

_You have to be_

**_[Portishead]_ **

Out of courtesy Loki called the vet before coming upstairs, to announce his arrival; but the truth was that he wanted to show up unexpected, for fear that she might drug the Angel with Midgardian medicine and knock him out again if she knew he was en-route- so that they would not talk to each other. Well, all of his fears vanished as soon as he entered the small apartment and found Warren sitting up on a comfy couch and watching television whilst munching on crisps- his bandaged head supported by a huge fluffy pillow and his feet snug in white bunny-shaped slippers. Loki blinked as he closed the door behind him.

"Heeeeyyyyy Lockster!" beamed the Angel –"You came!"

"I did. Why is your phone unavailable?" he wondered irritably, as his eyes scanned the checkered woolen quilt the Angel was wrapped in, and the shaggy one eared-cat that was cuddled next to him. Loki left Angel's phone with him at the vet's on purpose, so that they would have means of communication- but it seemed that only telepathy could breach the barricades this woman built around her precious feathered baby.

"Oh, Shirley just doesn't have the right charger for it, she's an old-fashioned broad, that one. She doesn't own a smartphone."

"Right."

"Well?! Am I gonna get a hug or what? I almost _perished_ and you're just standing there _to torture me_ when I'm not allowed to walk around yet …"

"You're correct. My apologies." Loki strode forward gingerly – eyeing the cat that hissed at him- and leaned at an awkward angle, letting the birdman throw his arms around him and pat him on the back more times than was needed. In truth, he questioned whether these frequent pats on the back were _needed_ at all, but he was grateful for the comfort in Angel's touch nevertheless. The fact he was alive and well was also a bonus.

"There he is!" called Shirley the vet, who emerged from the kitchen and joined them in the living room –"How are you? Loki. I heard that was your name."

"I'm well." Muttered Loki, keeping his eyes on Angel –"How is he doing, though?"

"Much better." Replied the vet –"but we best not move him for the time being. You don't wanna take risks with head injuries." She smiled at both of them and then, to Loki's discontentment, took a seat on the nearby sofa and signaled Loki to do the same. The cat padded forward and claimed her lap, gazing at Loki with glassy orange eyes. Was she going to remain with them for his entire visit? – it appeared so. The trickster sat down with a frown and left his coat on- he heard a parrot screeching from the other room and the TV was playing music at a low volume with close-to-naked ladies dancing in a manner that seemed more like they were having a fit of a sort.

"So… how are things in the mansion?" asked Shirley rather pointlessly.

"Haven't changed since yesterday." Replied Loki.

"Hey, Lockster, did you remember to bring me something to wear?" Angel chuckled, and Loki frowned deeper still because no, he did not remember.

"No, sorry, Warren…." Loki turned towards the old woman and did his best not to glare at her –"How long do you predict he should be kept here?" he asked politely.

"Oh, hard to tell. Hard to tell." Said she grimly –"His bump is still swollen. But he isn't _suffering_ here, is he? Got everything he needs at an arm's reach! and being away from his training and his phone also works wonders on him- he _loves_ to talk, so doncha worry now."

Loki gave a fake smile –"Of course." He replied, but his patience was already wearing out. The woman would keep Angel under her wing for as long as possible, until she suffocated him with motherly smothering and his body will grow roots into the couch. He would be covered in mold and patina will spread up each of his atrophied muscles. _Yuck._ Secretly, behind his knee, Loki was rubbing two of his fingers together.

"So, tell me, boys! I want to know everything." Shirley giggled –"How did the two of you meet?"

"Erm… to be honest, Loki practically dropped from the sky." Said Warren and Loki threw a disapproving  glance at him, tightening his mouth in a silent warning.

"Well, isn't _true friendship_ like that?" Shirley probably didn't notice that she was saying it out loud –"Your soulmate just appears out of nowhere. I owe you an apology, Loki." She said –"Warren told me how he got hurt, told me he had a sweetheart here in town. Told me how he climbed that wall… such a romantic young man that he is."

"Aha." Grunted Loki.

"He also told me that you two share a special bond." Added the vet and if looks could kill, Angel would already be dead, most probably. He was a _blabbermouth_ indeed, and it was not the finest of his traits.

Loki snapped his fingers silently and the woman jerked in place so abruptly that the cat startled and ran to the other room with an angry "mrrroeew!". "Silly me!" cried Shirley –"I didn't even offer you tea!" and with that she trotted towards the kitchen and put the kettle on, opening and closing cupboards and drawers.

"We've got to get you out of here!" Loki whisper-shouted at the birdman.

"What?" Angel scrunched his beautiful face in surprise –"What do you mean? _Why_?"

"Why?! You're asking me _why_ , Warren? I know there wasn't much in your skull even before you managed to get it smashed, but I believe that you can still _see_ how she's manip-"

"The nice cups are on the highest shelf." Shirley came back with an apologizing smile –"D'ya mind helping me with getting them, Darling?" this was obviously for Loki and he got up reluctantly and followed her into the kitchen. His little magic trick was not enough to keep this nuisance away, but little magic tricks was all that he had at the moment- and it was far better than not having any, he knew that from experience. He just had to be a little more creative. The vet pointed at the highest shelf in the cupboard, that was loaded with dusty cups- white china with fish painted on them- he easily extended his arm to get a few of them down to the counter.

"It's not that I insist on nice cups, you see? It's just that most of my cups contained some funky substance at one point or another."

"What funky substance."

"Frog eyes and heron gizzards." She giggled.

"I'm sure I've had worse." Loki was trying to be polite again, but when she turned his back to him to wash the cups in the sink he snapped his fingers once more and the tap coughed and then disgorged a  heavy globe of water that hit a dirty plate and deflected straight to her blouse- spraying her with cold water and food remains.

"Oh, Darn it! Darn it! To hell with this house!" cried Shirley, holding her soiled blouse away from her body as Loki covertly smirked –"I better go change. Do you mind taking care of the tea? Please?"

"Of course." Replied Loki, wiping his grin instantly away. As soon as she was out the room, he ran to the living room and tore the quilt off Angel- throwing a swarm of crisps to the carpet in the process.

"Come on, _we're leaving_!" he tried not to take in the fact that underneath the quilt Angel was wearing nothing but a pair of old underpants – that were clearly not his by style nor size. Loki wished not to learn about how he got into them.

"Loki! But what… what are you doing?"

"I am _saving_ you, bird-brain!" and with that he lifted the Angel effortlessly and carried him out the front door, leaving it open. He dashed down the stairs that seemed to be numerous, until he finally reached the street, but never stopped running through the alleys. It was already dark and the pavements were slippery, and Angel kept ringing in his ears –"Why? Loki, why?!" until the birdman finally said –"She's an old woman, and you're running as if there's a cheetah on our trail."

Realizing he was right, Loki put him down and stood there for a moment to catch his breath.

"And then," added Warren –"There's always the risk that someone might see us…" he chuckled –"What's the rush, Lockster?"

"It was a rational rush." Insisted the demigod, and that was a lie.

"Oookay, so what's the plan? Coz I'm getting really cold out here and my head's spinning. Oh, and where is my car?" inquired Warren, and it was a friendly wonder, not at all accusing- yet Loki found he answered defensively –"It's in the mansion, coz I ruined it."

"Nice." Said Warren –"There's always a first-" and he tapped him on the shoulder. That needless tap again- "So you came here by foot? Just to get me? You must like me a lot." Warren laughed and squeezed his shoulder, muttering –"Oh, shit! Just go along with it, Locks." And so, he grabbed Loki by the collar of his coat and pulled him till he stumbled forward and his mouth fell on Angel's. Took him a fragment of a moment to comprehend that this was intended, as the Angel kissed him full on the lips while actually _smiling_ through it. Frozen like the Jotun giant that he secretly was- the monster of icy lands in the skies- Loki didn't move for a while, and the fresh lips that pursued his with such spontaneous air took all of his attention and blew all of his thought away. Then he was just mad.

"What was _that_ for?!" he barked at Angel as soon as he broke the contact.

The birdman shrugged –"There were two people coming around the corner behind you, and one of them pointed at my wings. People fear mutants, you already know that. But they find the _gay_ much more threatening. Just wanted them to scoot." He laughed throatily and patted him on the shoulder again –"I won't tell your girlfriend."

"Neither will I."

"Though she would understand, you know? Rogue's a cool girl. So… how do we get out of here?"

"We fly." Said Loki, as if it were obvious.

"Yeah, fine. But we make a stop for a beer on the way."

"A _beer_!?" said Loki "Really. You just had a concussion and was almost kidnapped."

"Yes," Angel winked –"But I survived!"

"Plus you don't have anything to cover your wings with." Continued Loki.

"You'll let me borrow that raincoat. Let's go." Angel walked behind him and closed his arms around his waist- then gave his wings a couple of testing flaps before they lifted off and took to the wintery night sky.

*

Rogue waited, but then again, she was not built to wait. Loki never told her what time he was gonna show up, and she knew it was part of his game- _to keep her on her toes_. She tried texting him at 22:00, with "So, when?" and got "Soon" in return. Why was he playing her like a mad mandolin?? He was going to drive her insane. She remembered, of course, that he had told her to lie naked in bed and just, well, _wait_ … but that was never gonna happen. The alien denied her her orgasm three times in a row already, _on purpose,_ and she was not going to let him win this. Although… it kinda felt nice when he did… when he took what he wanted. Rogue dated many men before him (were they even dating?), but she had never met a man who was so envious of his mysteries. The guy was like a freakin' guard dog when it came to his secrets- barking at her and licking at her alternately- both gestures aimed to see that his boundaries were never crossed. If she was falling in-love, it was happening without her consent and it was happening in the dungeons of her consciousness and it was happening unfairly. She fondled Remy's locket with her fingers while watching a documentary on YouTube about close encounters of the third kind- people who met aliens for real. Well, the thing was just patched with an eerie soundtrack and some visual manipulations of swift camera movements and tricks of the light- but there wasn't any new info on the topic at hand, only dubious testimonies from people who woke up in the middle of the night and saw a shadow in their bedrooms- which got them very scared. Oh, well.

Around 23:00 Rogue took to the kitchen and opened the fridge, getting three beers and carrying them back to her chambers. Loki was probably never going to show up tonight, which was _okay_. It was okay, because she knew better than to get attached – to anyone. Unlike her previous total breakdown – this time she knew how to handle the situation. She opened the window, climbed to the windowsill and drank the beer there, enjoying the gusts of winter and the scent of damp leaves, listening to music. She did not again think about calling her ex. It was after 1:00 AM when she took the final gulp of the third beer and rolled from the window into her bed, laughing slightly for being silly. There was an itch at her throat- the collar- she completely forgot about it! again. She clicked it open and sighed in relief as she broke free from it, but the itch did not stop. She clawed at her throat with her fingernails and groaned when there was no quench to the irritation- it only burnt now. She knew she was never supposed to keep it on for more than three hours at a time, but then… well. Life happened.

Annoyed and aggravated, she never remembered when finally sleep overcame her, but it did. She only awoke to the sound of his voice, somewhere above her, fracturing the darkness.

"I thought my instructions were clear, mutant."

"Fuck you, Loki." She returned and burrowed deeper into the blanket, thinking she was dreaming. She chased her stolen sleep around mystical mountains.

"Fully clothed." He said, snatching the blessed blanket away –"and missing her collar."

"So what." She spat into the sheets.

"So she'll get punished for it." Said he, and his voice was cool and serene. Rogue turned on her backside and looked upwards. He was looming over her, with a stare aimed to scare- but he was just gorgeous.

"Punished?" she fluttered her eyelids at him –"I didn't even know if you were coming. You know what? Perhaps _you_ should get punished!" but then she was too wasted to start a fight like she half-wanted to, and by the smell he brought- so was he.

"Maybe later." He settled in bed next to her and placed his hand on her belly, over the loose sweater she was wearing –"But I get to go first."

"You always get to go first!" she pouted –"and then you just leave me hanging, and after you're done my predicament is to masturbate in the toilet between training sessions. And you know what?"

"What?" he said softly.

"What what, this isn't manly, this isn't friendly, this isn't… well, it isn't right!"

 "Angry, are you, my pretty? You shall not be angry by the end of this night, you have my word."

"Your _word_?"

"The word of a prince of Asgard. Remind me to get back to it, after we're finished for I have some news to tell you. But as it is, I cannot concentrate on anything but that vivid image you've planted in my mind - you touching yourself in the toilet. I cannot see what's wrong with it." He reached between her legs and made her gasp –"Are you wet yet?"

"Why don't you undress me and find out, space-scum."

"That I will. In a moment." His middle finger found her clit even over her jeans, and it danced up and down the fabric, applying pressure where it was just right. Her eyes filled with tears of desire and she began breathing heavily. With his other hand Loki traced the collar under the blanket and was about to lock it around her neck, when he dropped it all of a sudden.

"What's this?" he gestured towards her flaming skin.

"Argggh, Loki!" huffed Rogue –"It's just a spring allergy."

"It isn't springtime."

"Why do you have to be specific." She took her collar by herself and clicked it around her neck –"There. It's gone now. Now will you _fucking_ kiss me?!"

"I will do much more than kiss you." Promised Loki and moved in.

*


	36. Lord of Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some sex and more sex for Rouge and Loki, some more soap opera stuff for Angel.

_Rare is this love, keep it covered_  
_I need you to run to me, run to me, lover_  
_Run until you feel your lungs bleeding_

_Know what it is to grow_  
_Beneath her sky, her punishing cold_  
_To slowly learn of her ancient misery_

_To be twisted by something_  
_A shame without a sin_

_But in all the world_  
_There is one lover worthy of her_  
_With as many souls claimed as she_

_But for all he's worth_  
_He still shatters always on her earth_  
_The cause of every tear she'd ever weep_

_Rushing to shore to meet her_  
_Foaming with loneliness_  
_White hands to fondle and beat her_  
_Give her his onliness_

_**[Hozier]** _

Based on their past sexual encounters Rogue had reason to believe that she was going to get tied down or thrown about and taken coarsely with her face squashed against the windowpane and her ankle bent over her head - but nothing of the sort occurred. In fact, despite his intoxicated state her alien lover was surprisingly moderate, and his kisses were syrupy and cool on her lips. He also took his time with stripping her- feeling her up under her sweater for decades, his hand moving idly to caress one of her breasts and his thumb teasing the hardened nipple and scraping it with a fingernail so wonderfully, so terribly slowly. _That_ he maintained for about two centuries before miraculously removing her bra without unclasping it and pulling it off through her sleeve. She gasped at his doings as a chill of pleasure ran down her arm, following the peeling of her undergarment.

"How the fuck did you do that??" she marveled.

"Did what?" he returned with a grin that revealed nothing.

"Took off my bra like that? I mean…"

"You mean so easily?"

"Well… yeah."

"Oh, with lots of caresses and sweet talking." Said he, and his hand slithered again below her sweater, tracing her curves and her tightening muscles- stalling on the overly sensitive nipples that by now felt as if they were gonna be the death of her- delicate as they were. Loki wasn't even on top of her this time, but lay on his side next to her and nestled his large nose in the crook of her neck whilst still stroking her steadily- clearly taking joy in her restlessness.

"You know what Ahy! Mean…" said she, but only barely.

"Are you asking me if it was a trick?"

"Obviously."

"Well, I am, after all, Master of Mischief, Prince of Pranks-"

"Lord of _Lies_ , yeah, I get it." Huffed Rogue, but then giggled despite herself.

"Then why are you asking when you know the answer, mutant. That is a complete waste of breath." He shifted minutely to take her earlobe in his mouth and suckle on it. Rogue's eyes snapped open when he _bit_ her with a force in his teeth that was not at all forgiving- and released when she yelped to replace the bite with the warmth of his lips. She closed her eyes when the pain settled and rubbed her thighs together for the wetness that accumulated in her underwear and the need that she felt down there.

"Loki." She said and grabbed his hand with hers, beneath the sweater.

He let go of her poor earlobe and whispered smugly –"Yes?"

"I want you."

"Also a waste of breath, mutant, because I already know that." He sighed –"why is stating the obvious so dear to you?"

"It isn't! I'm just-"

"Wet. I know. And impatient as always." He kissed her neck and her collarbone and the tender hollow above her windpipe- that made her utterly fall apart and she cried out wetly, her breath catching in her chest.

"Right there?" he asked without expecting an answer –"Very well. I am going to make you climax, Marie, without fucking you. Can you handle it?"

"No!" she cried, because honestly, she didn't know how she could take that without dying first, or killing him, and she was going to tell him all about it- but Loki silenced her with a demanding French kiss, deep and controlling- pushing his tongue all the way into her mouth and almost touching the back of her throat. She could feel the heat of the air exhaled from his nostrils as he locked mouths with her- and she moaned in response. Her hand still holding his squeezed hard on his slender fingers, and her body arched upwards searching desperately for the contact with another body- but met only emptiness.

Loki moaned in reply – but it was short and pressed- then detached from her lips and "Do not be intimidated, we've done this already." He caressed her hand reassuringly –"It will be _magic_."

And with that Loki pulled her sweater up and helped her wiggle out of it, then said softly –"Close your eyes." That was an order.

Nerves wrecked and prickling, Rogue closed her eyes - but they scampered below the lids like butterflies for the thrill of the unknown and for her growing lust that was so immense it made her shiver. She felt the sweater being laid on her face and Loki's gentle nudging and moving her head from side to side as he tied the cloth around her eyes and blocked her sight altogether. There was only darkness and the smell of her own perfume coming from the wool that was still warm from being worn. She had to admit- this was scary. Being tied was okay - even comforting - and felt weirdly safe. Being gagged was just annoying and stupid- but this truly made her panic- and what was scarier- it made her go totally quiet. Her tongue wad heavy in her mouth and her breathing was stuttering. Fortunately, the alien noticed her distress and collected her into a close embrace, raining consoling kisses on her face and forehead –"You can take it off whenever you want to." He pointed out kindly, and that was a truth, but the experience was already taking hold and she felt that she was sinking into it, like a drunken ship. The _enchantment_ was buzzing in her blood and her captive mind. Removing the blindfold would be breaking the spell, and she didn't want that. She wanted the full tour in the basements of her basement, the whole dark show, the complete sensation of the scene- so that she could get to _the bottom of things_. Loki rolled on top of her, finally, and held her face in his hands –"Speak." He said.

"I can speak." Said Rogue after a long while and more kisses on her nose and her hands and her mouth. She started breathing evenly again –"I'm okay."

"Brilliant." Said Loki and his tone was tense as if he was already drowning himself, and was doing his best to keep his head above the waters. Seeing nothing, all that Rogue could sense was the miasma pooling out of him, and the hard rod that was caged in his pants and brushed against her leg once- deliberately or otherwise. She knew then that he was torturing himself just as much as he was torturing her- and that piece of information made her even hornier. And then, without warning as was his habit, Loki placed his mouth on the same spot that almost made her scream- the point where her neck met her collarbone, and licked and sucked at that vulnerable spot. First he was only doing it mildly, but after a moment or so he was rasping and mugging the thin skin with tantalizing talent, each drag of his tongue making her untouched clit throb harder and wilder. She wanted to touch herself, to put a stop to this agony- all she needed was one or two rubs- but discovered that both her arms were pressed between his body and hers rather hopelessly. Then she tried grinding against his leg that was in close proximity, but Loki pulled it away and shifted to sit on her hips, where his legs were out of reach. He held her down by her wrists with his one hand pinning them to her belly and his chuckle carried a lewd savagery –"You can fight me if it makes it easier." He said and renewed his assault on her neck, and Rogue fought him- not because he suggested, but because she had to channel her frustration. She writhed and bucked against the securing weight and flung her head from one side to the other, a train of throaty gurgles and moans breaking from her – crude and unfiltered.

"The noises she makes…" whispered Loki approvingly between the swipes of his tormenting tongue – and then her orgasm washed over her – causing her to tremble in his hold and cry out blindly for the force of it was unimaginable and she sensed it lingering on her clit for long seconds after her peak.

Loki was keeping himself immobile throughout the wave, then rose to give her a peck on the lips –"Good?"

"Oh my god." Panted Rogue, still unable to see him or move at her own will.

"Yes, I am." Returned Loki with audible pride and kissed her again, but as he was at it, a fresh surge of passion awoke in her pants and made her just as miserable and as longing as before. She whined into the kiss- not really realizing what was happening.

"It's alright." Said Loki in an amused tone, placing a warm palm on her cheek and tracing the edges of the improvised blindfold –"I am not done yet."

"Neither am I!" she cried in a blend of accusation and devious desire.  

"Some girls just have an insatiable appetite." He remarked –"I'll take care of it."

His hand was at the button of her jeans and Rogue squirmed impatiently and kicked because everything he did was _too fucking slow_ , and she wanted him inside her so badly she felt she might spontaneously catch flames. His fingers dallying about her crotch seriously were no help at all.

"Will you stop _fidgeting_ , woman." Said Loki –"I am trying to get into your pants."

"Well then get there already!" grunted she –"Arrgggh!" her mouth was seeking the pillow, to bite into it while waiting for him to undress her, and Loki probably felt a sympathy of a sort for her wretched condition for he let go of her wrists and pushed two silky fingers into her mouth. She accepted them with silent gratitude and sucked on their lengths and knuckles as she waited for _eons_ to get out of her jeans, knowing that trying to use her hands to hurry him was out of the question.

With his one available hand the alien unbuttoned her pants and unzipped them. A determined tug exposed her crotch and her upper thighs, and a second tug pulled her damp panties down- but not all the way- so that she couldn't spread her legs. Rogue grunted over the fingers lodged in her mouth and she was boiling moisture and out of her mind.

From a distance and through mist she heard his own pants unzipping and couldn't contain her expectation; and when at last the warmth of his rigid cock touched to her clit, she cried out again for passion. Even the fingers on her tongue were not enough to muffle the sound. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that the entire mansion echoed with the noises she was emitting- but she couldn't care, nor control herself.

Loki was rubbing his dick against her clit- long, strong pressure guided by his hand and bringing her to the edge again. A slippery and steady motion coloured with the soundtrack of his heavy breathing. Fucking without fucking. The fact he was not speaking anymore implied that he was also coming close, but she couldn't see him and she didn't know. Her second orgasm attacked more intensely than the first and made her arch upwards and cling onto his shoulders, sobbing out her moans into his neck. Loki took his fingers out of her mouth and drove them with nonchalance into her twitching wetness. It was not two seconds past her devastating climax that her body asked for a third release.

"What are you doing to me?" she muttered hazily, drunk with desire.

"You have brought to my attention the idea I was an inconsiderate lover." He said –"So I am bound to return all of your lost orgasms." He kissed her softly, and his argument made sense, but then, as his fingers pushed upwards inside and triggered a tender spot she never even knew that existed- her heart came to a halt and her mouth gaped quietly, because the prodding at her secret parts was too overwhelming.

"I am going to make you cum again." He promised –"and again, until you see the stars. Then I will make you cum until you are as high as the gates of Asgard." He nuzzled her chin, and her shoulder –"I will make you cum until you beg me to stop-"

"Please stop." Pleaded Rogue –"I need a minute…"

"No, you don’t." he twisted his fingers inside her and a third orgasm swept her away from reason and words and shook her like an electric current. She hugged Loki and held onto him for dear life, drilling fingernails into his forearms and melting moments later. Lying beneath him sweating and pulsating- then craving even more, like the slut that she was.

"Until you faint." Said he.

"Okay." She replied.

*

After dropping Loki Angel went back to his room. What he truly wanted was a shower, but the memory of the most recent one depressed that will, and he decided to just change. He was still dizzy as he took off the one piece of clothing he had on- the underwear the vet gave him- but he knew not if the dizziness was due to the alcohol or his previous concussion. He slipped into a fresh set of clothes- some briefs and a red pair of training trousers – nothing for his upper part to not distress his injured wing. Then he stood in front of his gigantic mirror and removed the bandages from his head – turning to view the damage to the back of his head and gulping. All hair was shaved from there- this was probably the vet's doing, and the swell there was bumpy, and purple and black. And when Warren touched it, it was searing hot. Not the most positive of signs. He had to see Jean. But it was the middle of the night- Warren searched for his phone when he realized it was left at Shirley's- because Loki was in such a hurry as they left. Crap. Dizzily, he stepped into the hallway and made his way towards Jean's chambers. He'd have to wake her. She will hate him. She already hates him. What's the difference.

*

 Candice Bergstein was back from a three-day trip to the mountains with her parents and sisters. It was after midnight and she was dead tired as she went up the elevator and holding onto her bag with a sweaty palm. Her suitcase got lost in the flight, and the company told her she would be reimbursed.  Of course, she didn't believe them. Everyone was a _liar_ , including her last boyfriend. He was a mutant with large wings. She was a zoology student. She used to think that _that_ will be the end of them. That as soon as he found out what she was doing, he would fly away. But it wasn't even that. He never knew. He never bothered to ask. And If he did, Candice would have told him it was just a coincidence. She didn’t' know he was a mutant when she met him, she didn't know he had wings. But it was all too late for that. He'd already dumped her because he wouldn't date a human.

She reached her floor and her flat. And she was happy to see that her plant was still alive- then she noticed there was a brown manly coat hanging on her doorknob. She picked it up and dropped it right away with a start when she saw its inner part was covered in plucked white feathers and dried blood. Her heart was at her throat as she stormed forwards and knocked on her roommate's door –"Emilia!" she cried –"Emilia! What is the meaning of this?!! Please! Please come out!"

There was the sound of a door unlocking, and Emilia came out, giving her a cold look –"what's the emergency?"

"I found this coat…" said Candie, struck by her roomate's indifference –"Is it Warren's? did he come here when I was gone?"

"How should I know." Shrugged Emilia –"I was _studying_. Didn't hear anything." She sent Candice the iciest of looks –"some of us actually care about our future- and aren't trying to get off with every vagabond that knocks on our door."

And with that, Emilia closed her door. Candice was standing for a couple of more minutes in the hallway, trying to digest what her roommate just told her. Was she a skank, for letting the boys in her room? The students of zoology, they were such geeks. Nothing ever happened, they truly only studied…. And Warren. He was something else. And she let him go. She let him go because she was not seeing the whole picture. And now… what now? She had to call him. She called him, but his phone was out. Candice was not the one to give in. she turned on her laptop and began searching.

*


	37. The Frozen Border

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some fluff for Rogue and Loki, some drama for Angel, and Loki as well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one or two more chapters and we are done. I shall miss it terribly!

_Did you call for the night porter?_  
_You smell the blood runnin' warm_  
_I stay close to this frozen border_  
_So close, I can hit it with a stone_

_Now something crawls right up my spine_  
_That I always got to follow_  
_Turn out the lights_  
_Don't see me drawn and hollow_  
_Just blood runnin' warm_

_No one needs to tell you that_  
_There's no use for you here anymore_  
_And where are your friends? They've gone away_  
_It's a different world, they left you to this_  
_To janitor the emptiness, so let's get it on_

**_[Mark Lanegan]_ **

Jean Gray could not sleep that night because her thoughts were irksome and troubling. the only way she knew to stop them was busying her mind with something else, and it had to be something that would demand all of her attention- in this case, it was a computer game of complex puzzles designed to develop thinking skills and to forge one's creativity. Some might say that its only purpose was to cause deep frustration and to make people feel unintelligent and humiliated; but Jean loved riddles and she could spend hours at a time in front of the screen, her brain buzzing with the stimulation the game offered and her mouth bent in a pensive elucidation. Just _cerebrating_. The said game was given by Xavier to all of the X-Men, but Jean was the only one who enjoyed it and the most successful one by far at level 67. Storm was the runner up, stuck on puzzle no.#50 for almost two weeks now, Rogue ruined hers, of course, after hitting two many keys at once or trying two many wrong answers- whatever she did, she managed to screw up the program and claimed it was stupid and purposely unsolvable. Scott kept his level a top secret, and the rest never bothered trying.

However, Jean felt like she was on the verge of a breakthrough and was about to type in something into the awaiting blinking space when there was a knock on her door. She averted her gaze to the clock at the bottom left of the screen and saw that it was past 2:00AM already. _Who on earth?_

"Scott, if that's you again you better make yourself scarce!" she called out.

"It's Warren." Came the unexpected identification.

"Warren?" Jean closed her laptop and rose from her bed, turning on the light on the way without hitting the light switch and opening the door without laying a hand on it. Angel was standing in the hallway with nothing on but his training trousers, looking awfully despondent.

"What happened? Why haven't you called?"

The athletic man gave an apologetic grin and reached out to the back of his head to scratch there awkwardly, then recoiled with a wince –"Ouch. I mean… sorry. My phone got left at the vet's… Loki-"

Jean frowned –" _Loki_." She repeated –"say no more. Come on."

"Where are we going?" asked Warren with visible perplexation.

"To the clinic of course." Answered Jean and already started walking –"It's your head that's bugging you, I assume?"

"Well… yeah…" mumbled Angel –"I keep forgetting you can read minds, Gray."

"I didn't need to read your mind to notice it, Warren. I am a doctor and I can tell when people are in pain".

"Oh." He said and followed her quietly. Once they reached the clinic, she had him take a seat on the treatment table and instructed him to crane his neck forwards. The guy was absolutely terrified as some people were around her, when all she wanted to do was help them. She sighed as she examined the shaved patch above his nape – a gruesome bump coloured in all the shades of hell.

"How did that happen?" she asked severely.

"Well, I-" Angel raised his head to look at her

"Keep it down, I'm still looking." She ordered.

"Oh, alright." He followed obediently and cleared his throat, keeping his head hung like a rebuked child –"I was taking a shower and Kitty fell on me through the ceiling. She didn't mean to… it was an accident."

"Everything about the girl is an _accident_." Slurred Jean –"I guess we didn't know that happened because you fainted and the Professor believed the problem was your left wing." That was a comment to herself –"How careless."

"I… I'm sorry." Blurted Warren –"How bad is it?"

"I don't know. Hold still… there's this new trick I started using lately." She placed both her palms gently on his temples and closed her eyes to concentrate better. The guy practically trembled with anxiety and she could feel his heartbeat pulsating in the blood vessels, and she could hear it. But in addition, she was able to _see_ into his body. This was a new technique she was working on for some time now, and she was majorly proud of it. With her inner eye she illuminated her track through dense flesh, muscles and bones all the way to the back of his skull- where the traumatized injury sent jolts of pain via neurons to his brain. She looked and searched thoroughly for until she was satisfied – dropped her hands back to the sides of her body and opened her eyes.

"Well, you're not dying." Announced Jean and almost lost her balance when Angel hugged her impulsively as a sob of relief left his throat –"Thank you," he brayed and choked –"Thank you!"

"Goodness, Warren. Get a grip." Snapped Jean, embarrassed, and gently pushed him off her –"You are lucky to be alive. I'm guessing the vet informed you that you had a concussion?"

"Yeh…" sniffed Angel, wiping his tears and nose with the back of his hand. The big bird looked silly on that table, hunched and deflated. Stripped of all his former glory- he was only human, and broken.

"And I'm also guessing that she told you you needed to _rest_. Why on earth haven't you listened, Warren?"

"I… I _was_ resting." Angel blushed defensively –"She was a real kind lady. She took care of me. But then Loki came and told me that we needed to fuck outta there- so we ran…"

Jean rolled her eyes –"Loki again! Why does the name keep popping up? I wonder." She gave Warren an educating look, but then softened a little for the pitiful state of him and for his face that was the epitome of naivety, the face of a person who never dared harm another soul in his days.

"Anyways." She said practically –"It wasn't just a concussion. There's also a minor fracture to the skull. Don't freak out now-" she raised one finger and waved it at him –"It should heal on its own, but you need to rest. You must rest, I cannot stress this enough- that is no running, no swimming, no training, no riding, no _flying_ , no climbing, no straining of _any_ kind. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And no sex." She added with an afterthought.

"Oh, okay…" he lowered his gaze again and carefully climbed down from the table –"Thanks, Jean."

"Don't worry about it. Just go to bed."

"Jean-" he asked when they were at the door and both huddled by mistake to pass through the threshold at the same time.

"What?"

"Do you remember how we were almost lovers once?" he took her by surprise, because for all her talent and telepathy, Jean could never predict when someone said something that they did not plan to say in advance, and Warren never planned.

She looked up at the gorgeous man that stood so close to her and blinked. The memories of the past flooded her momentarily. She remembered his clumsy courtship, as a teenager, and they way he never listened and always spoke only of himself, and how she was infatuated with him and the big goof didn't even notice. They both came a long way from then.

"Yes, I remember, Warren." She replied coolly –"Are you hitting on me?"

"No." he said and his pale blue eyes squinted slightly –"I just… well, I never stopped wondering. Me and you… we had a sort of an established something going on already when Scott joined the X-Men… and… well, why did you choose him eventually? Over me?"

"I don't know." Said Jean. That was a truth.

*

It was early dawn and Loki was lying on his back in Rogue's bed, and he was the happiest he had been in a thousand years. Away from the clutches of his twisted family, away from his godly duties and away from the symbiotic competitive relationship with his brother- it was ultimately this Midgardian prison that gave him his freedom. And he cherished every moment. His exhausted lover was draped over his exposed torso – deep in slumber- and he could take in the beauty of her naked body: her shoulder blades and the gorge that marked her spine in between, which lead to the small of her back and the curve of her firm bottom- all glowing pearly in the pale misty light. All _his_. His hand was on her neck, under her disheveled hair, stroking at a hypnotizing pace to keep her sleeping. He truly frazzled her this time with his game of multiple orgasms – he chuckled to himself at the fresh memory of last night that left both of them blissfully drained. He was so indulged in the images that he failed to respond fast enough when a bolt of lightening flickered nearby outside. The window had to be closed before- but there was not enough time. A loud crack of thunder that shook the mansion all the way down to its foundations exploded as he shut his eyes, swearing. Rogue stirred in his hold and moaned sleepily, a trail of incoherent syllables breaking from her lips against his chest.

"Oh, no no no no no…" he whispered and kissed her head –"Do not wake yet. You were so tranquil… don't wake." And a jolt of regret went through him, to see her tossed out of her placidity with such violence. But then another crack sounded, and a third made the window rattle so the mutant grunted and uttered "Fucking shit." – which told him that she fully regained her consciousness. He sighed and broke from her reluctantly –"a moment." He said and got up to shut the window and close the curtains, now that the rain followed and the wind was also getting furious.

"Are your Gods angry, up there?" Marie asked and Loki got back to bed to gather her into his arms and wrap them both with the blanket. She made little sounds of fatigue – which was no wonder- and cuddled with him.

"Yes, tremendously." He confirmed.

"Then shutting the window won't help, would it, Sugah?"

"No, it will not." Loki sighed because the deeper he got to know her, the lesser was his ability to hide information from her inquisitive mind and her knack to figure things out.

"You've got your magic back, doncha?" Rogue nuzzled into his armpit like a puppy and it tickled him. He grabbed her by her hair and tugged to distance her from the sensitive spot and to look into her eyes –"Took you a while to notice, Mutant."

"Huh!" Rogue huffed in return and licked the tip of his nose because she couldn't reach any further –"'Course I noticed, Spaceboy. I noticed as soon as you were able to break into my room and bypass the lock. But… I guess I just enjoyed all of them whacky _surprises_ you held for me."

"Did you now?" said Loki darkly and his grip on her hair tightened on its own. His cock flung like a battle flag to stand fully upright under the blanket, and its outline showed clearly as he waited for her answer. His cock, however, hated to be kept waiting.

"Yes, yes, Loki." Said Rogue and nodded with a spark in her olive eyes –"yes yes yes yes yes."

"Interesting." He laughed lowly.

"Will the _lord_ allow me to give him pleasure now?" asked Rogue playfully, her nasal voice even more arousing than her polite – albeit unserious- plea.

"You've learnt to ask for my permission, I am impressed." Said he.

"So???" another thunder banged at the window, as if asking to be let in and Loki frowned and put both his hands on her shoulders –"Marie," he began solemnly and licked his lips, thinking –"My dear father descended to Midgard. And he is coming for me."

"Let him come!" cried Marie –"I want you to cum…" she purred –"In my _mouth_ "

"Tempting." Admitted Loki –"But you are not listening. I will not have him come here. I should be out finding him before he finds me. My brother made sure that he will land in _Belgium_ , however-"

 "Well, Belgium's in Europe and my mouth is right here, so-"

"That was a couple of days ago, Vixen. I am certain that the Allfather made his way to the surroundings by now… "

"Oh." Said Rogue, clearly disappointed.

"I am sorry, mutant." He said with an effort –"The thunders and lightening are a warning from my brother. I must take my leave." He kissed her softly on her luscious lips –"save that suck for me."

"Yeah." Said Rogue and he felt her waning passion as her eyes followed his movements- getting out of bed and putting on clothes. He knew that she sensed the gravity of the scenario.

"I will take Gemini." He declared in a hurry, for more thunder and lightening got thrown at the window –"I am coming, Brother!" he hollered impatiently –"stupid oaf."

"The horse??" wondered Rogue.

"Yes. The horse. Cover for me." He asked and kissed her briskly again.

"When will you be back?" the mutant sounded worried- a side-effect that he could not fix.

"Suppertime, if I am lucky. And if not, do not wait for me." He opened the window and called out into the storm –"I am here, you idiot!"- then a large hand reached into the room and grabbed him, snatching him away just like in the old days- and the window slammed back into place.

*

Thor was standing in the pouring rain, in front of him, holding Gemini by his reigns and looking very upset. The horse was neighing and digging into the muddy earth with his front hooves.

"Father is only a few streets away." Said Thor, out of breath –"Do not _aggravate_ him, brother."

"The mere existence of me is an aggravation to him, so I do not see how it is possible." Snarled Loki and snatched the reigns of the horse from his brother's hand.

"I knew he was your horse… I was watching you daily." Blurted Thor and blushed.

"If you knew that you would have also known not to saddle and reign him." Said Loki cruelly and jumped over the horse's back.

"Brother." Said Thor grimly.

"I am not coming back to Asgard so save your breath and your mewling." Said Loki –"Either he kills me or sets me free. There is no other alternative. Goodbye, brother." And with that, Loki whispered something on Gemini's ear and galloped into the morning.

*

He located his adopting father at a news stand, a couple of blocks from the mansion – asking the salesman for directions and leaning heavily on his cane. He didn't have to ask Thor exactly where his father was. He _felt_ it. A strange and familiar pull in his guts guided him correctly. He leapt off the horse and began pacing towards Odin. The horse followed out of instinct and it was not long before they faced each other.

Odin raised his head from a map he was given by the shopkeeper and stared at his son with one accusing eye.

"What startled you out of your coop, Chicken?" inquired the Allfather in an unpleasant tone.

"I am no coward, father." Answered Loki –"I came to greet you."

"No…" huffed the old man –"No. you were _warned_."

"Perhaps." Said the trickster –"But here I am. What do you want of me?"

"I…" the old man started, his old voice crinkling. Then the shopkeeper rushed outside unasked and offered him a stool and an umbrella. Odin sat down gratefully and held the umbrella over his head, to protect himself from the rain. The people of Midgard did not know who Odin was, but they _recognized_ him nevertheless and they paid him respect.

"Yes, what." Said Loki impatiently, looking about him with suspicion.

"I…" started Odin again, inspecting his son –"I believe I was wrong in sending you here, Loki."

"Is that so." Loki pursed his lips, when he really wanted to punch him.

"Indeed." Answered the Allfather –"your mere presence disrupts the delicate balance of things, wherever you may be. I was an old fool not to realise that. If you are not at home with us, causing trouble, then you are here, causing trouble, seeding havoc and turmoil in one of my realms and slowly bringing it down- with or without your magic, you are a _disaster_ to whomever comes near."

The words were harsh and they made Loki cringe, but he held himself back as the horse moved closer and brushed his muzzle against his shoulder. His eyes were filling with tears.

"I will not come home with you, father." He said –"I have made my mind up."

"Oh, but my child. I am not here to take you home." Said Odin –"I am here to _destroy_ you. My most intelligent, and my gravest of mistakes-" he pointed his cane at Loki- and Loki disappeared into thin air. He never knew how the blast hit Gemini, the horse, and how the beast turned into a steaming puddle. The shopkeeper fainted and his head dropped on a pile of candies.

*

For once in his life, Loki was able to keep his promise. For hours he was disapparating from place to place, showing up in random locations- a market, a museum, a library, a public school, a forest, a desert- each location leading farther and farther away from the X-Men mansion – to befuddle his father who was probably trying to follow. His magic was abating and begged for a break, but he kept on going- disappearing and reappearing to trick the hunter, until he depleted his powers and was certain that no one was on his tracks. He opened the door to the mansion, panting, and took a moment to lean on his thighs and catch his breath. The magic has taken all of his strength and he feared he might collapse. It was sometime around 6 PM and everything was quiet, for the time being. It wasn't suppertime yet. Loki closed the door behind him with a sigh and turned around to find a man sitting on the sofa.

Loki didn't need an introduction to know who he was- a big handsome man with big hands and ravishing brown hair that reached his eyes, dressed in a long winter coat, an open shirt that revealed his hairy chest and leather trousers. His face- a stubbled chin and warm chocolate eyes- good eyes. Loki knew why she loved him so much. He swallowed.

"Remy." Said the man – his heavy French accent noticeable even in the one word- and he got up and offered his hand for a shake. Loki shook his hand in return and marveled at how tall he was. As tall and as big as a monster.

"Loki." He replied meekly, and if his magic allowed it, he would have disappeared- but he was bound to die in agony as he stayed right here.

*


	38. Carrion Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit complicated for Loki, but his step mum steps up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit shorter, when it woz meant to be a double- but my friend told me that the previous one was upsetting, so had to fix it ASAP- coz i'm not the one for a sad ending...

_Regrets collect like old friends_   
_Here to relive your darkest moments_   
_I can see no way, I can see no way_   
_And all of the ghouls come out to play_

_And every demon wants his pound of flesh_   
_But I like to keep some things to myself_   
_I like to keep my issues drawn_   
_It's always darkest before the dawn_

_And I've been a fool and I've been blind_   
_I can never leave the past behind_   
_I can see no way, I can see no way_   
_I'm always dragging that horse around_

_Our love is pastured such a mournful sound_   
_Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground_   
_So I like to keep my issues drawn_   
_But it's always darkest before the dawn_

**_[Florence and the Machine]_ **

 

"Have you completely lost your mind, old man?!" Frigga berated her husband, pacing back and forth before his throne as he was holding his head in his hands. "To chase down _your own son_ and to try to _eliminate_ him?" she shook her head with disbelief and her shoulders were shaking with fury –"Does he truly deserve this fate? Does he deserve your _hatred_? Your injustice? Is this the rule of a God who is named the 'Allfather'  due to his kindness and his grace- is this the rule of a God whom people trust and support, whom people look up to, whose name they utter in their prayers, for they believe his benevolence and mercy shall bring them salvation?"

Odin was silent.

"When he might bring them _death_ on the black wings of his _blindness_."

"I have not the power to annihilate him, wife." He said heavily –"but I am blind indeed and your true eye sees through me. I beg for your forgiveness."

"Can you not see how your deeds spooked him? Not even Heimdall can trace him now!"

Odin grunted with something like suffering, or perhaps it was the sound of his ancient bones chafing together.

"Do you not know how Loki always tried to please and appease you and to win your _love_? You stupid, selfish man. Is that not _his_ spear that you carry as you own? Is that not the colt he offered you that you ride? What else would you have him do to receive a kind word from you??" she wiped tears of anger out the corners of her eyes –"And you ask for my forgiveness, when I will not, cannot forgive you for it- but I am certain that he will someday!"

"Wife, I am a man of many moods." Boomed Odin, each word leaving his throat was a pain and a pressure – and it was pushed out of his mouth with the help of his puffing lungs –"and in my past my moods had stirred up wars and carnage. It was my acrimony that guided me when I had seen the acts of our son."

"No, it was your _pride_." Argued Frigga –"Because you could not bear to see him moving freely after you've sentenced him to exile and locked away his charms. You wanted to control him, and your pride blinded your poor sight when you've realized that you can’t."

Odin bowed his head in regret –"Again you see me, woman." He said, nodding slightly as a guilty man –"He shall not die by my hand. The books say that I should die by his."

"Nay, by the wolf." Insisted Frigga –"Is that what you fear, husband? Your own end?"

The Allfather gazed up at her for the first time since he was pulled back to Asgard by order of his queen and long-time love. His one eye was flitting like a fading star –"I fear all end." He said.

"When Ragnarök is upon us, none shall stand in its way and none shall stand in its wake. That is not Loki's to decide, nor yours. He is fulfilling the fate assigned to him despite his will, and he is God of Chaos and he carries his responsibility and burden. Where he goest, goes discord, for such is his purpose and such is his flair; but in the mess he creates there lies also opportunity for new paths and new discoveries. He shuffles the cards for the birth of a new game, he destroys to make room for the fresh buds to rise from the ashes, for all things begin with nothingness and all creation with chaos. Can you not see?"

"I can see now, wife." Said the king after a long pause and contemplation –"You were always the wisest of us both and I am unworthy."

"You are _worthy_ of my advice, and you shall be given it; but my love I shall withhold from you until my heart hath changed." said Frigga and finally stopped her frantic pacing.

"What say you, then?" asked Odin hopefully, trying to ignore the sting in his wife's words.

"I say you will leave him be, and you will let me handle it the way that I see fit."

"Your wish is my order." Replied Odin with a nod –"Your love never tainted your judgement, Wife. You've always known better than I. Why have you let me send him away?"

"Because he withered and decayed in this castle, in the shadow of his brother." Answered Frigga simply.

"Then you will have him stay on Midgard and disrupt its peace for his own well-being?"

"Midgard was never peaceful, husband. I thought you thick, not delusional…"

*

Jean Gray came down the steps towards the living room of the X-Men mansion in the late afternoon and found the Prince of Asgard standing with the con artist by the name of Gambit. She almost laughed at the sight because it was just so absurd, but kept her cool. _Well, this is gonna be interesting…_ her movements became slower and slower as she prodded into their minds and understood that there was nothing significant said between them yet. In fact, they've only just met- Loki knew who he was facing, but Gambit had no fucking clue.

"Remy!" she called out pleasantly –"What brings you here?"

The young man's face turned with surprise and beamed when he saw her –"Jeanette!" he said warmly and came to embrace her- always a bit too tight- then left his hands on her shoulders for a moment –"A long time!" he stated the obvious.

"Yes, five years since you've deserted us."

"Ah, no no. But I was on a journey of… what do you call it? Self-discovery."

"And what have you discovered?"

" _Merde."_ He chuckled –"Dat I was a fool."

"I could have told you that long ago." Said Jean, amused, and he laughed too. It was only then that she came to admit to herself that Remy was missed. His colorful personality and his good spirits were always a fine addition to their little gang, and despite the fact that he was Rogue's boyfriend for most of the time, he never neglected the others, never spared his attention and encouragements and kind words.

"Come help me take care of dinner." She asked him and made her way towards the kitchen. Loki just stood there and watched them, gravely upset.

"Jeanette! _Mon Dieu_ – do you cook now? It cannot be!" marveled Remy.

"Of course I don't cook. I only volunteered to throw a few frozen schnitzels into the oven".

"Dat isn't right." Said Remy –"I will cook for all, Oui?"

"Okay, if you insist." Said Jean, not really minding –"Do you need my help with anything?"

"Nah." He settled in the kitchen and found his way around instinctively, beginning to pull out pots and pans –"A man-" he waved the pan at her –"A real man knows how to prepare food. Dat is one of my _expertise_."

Remy placed a pan on the stove and started chopping onions –"I am not crying." He promised Jean, smiling sweetly.

"Speaking of tears…" she asked curiously –"What's going on between you and Rogue? It's been… well, weird, I guess? When she came back a few weeks ago. What happened?"

"Ah." Remy tossed the chopped onions into the boiling pan with some olive oil and got some ground meat out of the fridge, seasoning it skillfully –"I had dis wife."

"A wife?"

"Yes, Bella. From years and years ago-" Jean sensed that he desperately wanted to talk, and all she had to do was listen. The guy wanted to get this load off him, he needed to chat.

"And?" she pressed on and took a seat on the stool behind the counter. Somewhere in the back, she knew that Loki was listening too. He sat on the couch in the living room and took ages to remove his shoes.

"And… anddd…" Remy threw the meat into the pan and ducked to get tomatoes from the fridge –"She came back suddenly. We didn't get a divorce back then. I never thought it was needed, because she left me… she… vanished."

"So why did she come back?" inquired Jean.

"She… needed my 'elp with some legal stuff. They were going to deport her, she's from Italy. We needed to prove dat we were still usband and wife."

"That is the stupidest thing I've heard in my entire life." Offered Jean cruelly –"So that's why-"

"Oui." Nodded Remy and stirred the stew in the pan, and then rummaged in the fridge to get carrots, but he was not as lively as before.

"Well then, you would have to crawl."

"I will crawl." Said Remy, and hit the counter with a spoon–"I will cover in dirt. I will roll in dog's piss, I will kiss her feet and be 'er slave-"

The doorbell rang.

"Loki, would you get that?" asked Jean, not wanting to break the conversation with Remy.

"I prefer not to." Said Loki coldly and Jean sensed there was fear in him, for the face behind the calling. She sighed and got up –"Excuse me." She told Remy who saluted at her with the spoon. When she opened the door she just could not believe her eyes, so she blinked a thousand times: there was a man there, blonde and sturdy with an armour and cape, and he _bowed_ to her. Took Jean a moment to notice that he was holding the reigns of the most beautiful horse she had seen in her days: a snow-white mare, agile and delicate, with the shiniest of coats and a golden mane. The animal was so beautiful that she couldn't resist touching it. She stepped forwards and stroked the horse's forehead that was silky and warm.

"What…" she said, befuddled.

"Milady, I am Thor, brother of Loki who stays here." The man looked terribly uncomfortable –"one of your horses was killed this morning by mistake… our mistake." He blushed –"I was sent here by my mother, to compensate for your loss with this gift, if you'll accept it."

"I have no idea what you're on about." Blurted Jean and then turned around –"Loki!" she called out –"Come here this instant. This is your business."

"Do not bother, Milady." Said Thor and put the reigns in her hand –"He will not speak to me. Please take the horse. Her name is Vind, but you can call her how you wish. She is now yours."

Then the man disappeared.

*


	39. Animal Nitrate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean gets a revalation and everyone else is in a soap opera...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this to be the last one, but I shall need another to wrap it up. soz. :P

_Forgive me, Hera_  
 _I can not stay_  
 _he cut out my tongue_  
 _there is nothing to save_  
  
_love me, oh lord_  
 _he threw me away_  
 _he laughed at my sins_  
 _in his arms I must stay_  
  
_he wrote_  
 _I'm broke_  
 _please send for me_  
  
_but I'm broken too_  
 _and spoken for_  
 _do not tempt me_

**_[Laura Marling]_ **

Jean didn't have the chance to interview Remy for as long as she wanted to, for she had a _horse_ to take care of now, which meant she had to lead her all the way to the stables and settle her in. The mare's calmness and gentleness were nothing like she'd seen before and the other horses seemed to _bow_ as soon as they picked up the filly's scent in the evening air. This was odd, but then again odd things were occurring since Gods and Men began to intertwine and the border between the worlds was getting fainter by the day. To find the God of Thunder on their doorstep- _who'd have thought?_ Moreover, the mighty God carried none of the unsettling fraudulence Loki had about him, and he was not at all unpleasant to be around. In fact, Jean felt kind of _enlightened_ by the peculiar encounter with Thor.

When she came back to the mansion almost 20 minutes later, she saw to her regret that the Cajun was already surrounded by old friends and bombarded with questions as he was setting the table. ["Did you get to travel around the world?", "Did the police try to catch you?", "Did you meet any other mutant organizations?", "Are your powers getting stronger?"] – The Cajun answered each and every question with the patience and charm of a storyteller, spicing up his fairy tales with jokes; but despite his carefree demeanor Jean knew that he and everyone around him were a ticking bomb. The questions offered to him were hollow and his answers were just as ghostly – the conversation was meaningless and only the frightened expressions and the tightness in the room told the true story. Someone was _bound_ to slip _something_ out eventually, someone's tongue was about to trip them and trigger an avalanche or tragedy and dark romance that had a bloody potential. _And it was all Loki's fault._

To add to the already sticky situation, Rogue was the only one missing from this reunion and by the look on Loki's face he also wished he were gone, but probably could not afford to be away from the scene as the truth unraveled. He was even paler than his usual self- as if waiting for Remy to refer to her, to disclose more clues regarding his intentions- but the Cajun conducted himself as if her absence didn't bother him. _A talented con artist. A smooth criminal._ – Jean knew him.

As Remy carried the piping hot stew proudly to the table and everyone took their seats a sudden and strained silence stood in the atmosphere and Gambit – who clearly suspected something all along- thought wrongly that he was to blame.

"I am sorry." He said in his thick French timbre with his fork in his hand –"I came unannounced and you do not know 'ow to respond." He laughed shortly, nervously.

"You are always welcome here, Gambit." Said Storm. –"You were an excellent X-Man, and you're still an excellent man."

" _Merci_ , Orori, but I can sense dat I make you uncomfortable." He smiled sadly –"Kitty over 'ere, she's not chatting and she iz quiet as a _mouse_."

"I'm okay, Remy." Said Kitty shyly and blushed – but not a trace of a smile showed on her face. Not that Jean felt sorry for her, but she could understand why Remy thought it unusual. The stupid girl looked as though she was recently hit by a train. _Or a cunning alien._

"And Warren? Also not laughing. And not jumping on the food like a 'ungry wolf, eh?" Remy sighed and his big shoulders sunk –"Now as you all refuse to eet- will you at least introduce me to de English gent-"

"I slipped in the shower." Hurried Angel to divert the attention from his demon friend –"my head hurts and it ruins my appetite, sorry, mate- but it smells amazing! Gotta give it a try, right?" he took the bowl to stress his declaration and poured some of the stew into his plate. His uncareful movements made him miss and the gravy sprayed on Kitty's glasses.

"Oh, crap! Sorry, Kitten!" said Angel, wanting to die of shame.

"It's okay, I'm okay…" repeated Kitty and wiped the glasses with a napkin, shuddering although the room was warm.

"Slip in de shower?" wondered Remy –"Are you a _papy_ now dat you fall in de shower?"

Bobby snickered and it was the first positive sound that echoed in the dining room since they all gathered. Scott also huffed in an attempt of a feigned laughter, but Jean's glance over the table made him tighten his lips and check his phone.

"Yeah, right? I know." Said Warren amiably and tilted his head from side to side –"Gettin' rusty."

"Well," Xavier spoke finally –"Let us not discuss unfortunate mishaps tonight when there is cause for celebration."

_Oh, it's gonna get **festive** alright… _

_"_ Let us thank our guest for this lovely food he has blessed us with and eat up. To Remy." He said, raising his cup of wine and everyone copied him and muttered 'To Remy', except for Loki who muttered something else entirely in a foreign language- that could only be an insult.  

Nobody mentioned Rogue or suggested to go and fetch her, but the surprising thing was that Remy himself did not ask about her. Jean slipped into his mind and saw that he was bitten with doubts and that he was disturbed, despite his chilled façade. Loki was in a no better state and kept on considering running upstairs and search for his slut before his ex finds her, but he hadn't the guts. Angel was so anxious that he might have puked any moment now, and Kitty-

~Jean~ the Professor was in her head ~What are you doing?~

She blushed instinctively and lowered her eyes to her empty plate, because being so excited about this whole drama made her forget that Xavier was also there and that he was in tune with everything that was happening.

~I was only making sure that no one was planning to kill anyone~ she replied and loaded her plate with some of the stew, so that nobody sees she was communicating with Charles.

~Or you were simply getting a better angle at what is to you an entertaining circus show.~

~Remy doesn't know who Loki is. As soon as he finds out, they will be at each other's throats~ she replied and took a bite of the food, that was indeed a treat. 

~I would not be so sure; and in any case, you being nosy isn't going to help.~

~Sorry, Professor.~

"As to your question, Gambit" said Xavier out loud and pointed at the alien –"This is Loki of Asgard and he is a prince. He is a skilled shapeshifter and wizard, and he is the latest addition to the team."

Kitty burped and immediately covered her mouth –"Sorry…" her complexion was practically green now. Jean rolled her eyes.

 "Loki-" Charles gestured towards the Cajun –"This is Mr. Remy LeBeau- a master thief and an ex-member of our group. He is a mutant that can manipulate and control energy."

Both men merely nodded at each other in recognition.

"I am certain that you boys will take a lot of interest in each other. Perhaps even learn something new." Said Xavier –

~And what are _you_ doing?!~  Jean yelled at her master telepathically.

~Giving Gambit the advantage Loki already has. If he is smart enough to interpret my subtle hint.~

~There was nothing subtle about it! A donkey could have gotten that hint!~

~Donkeys, apes, wolves and lions and charging bulls- take your pick, my dear apprentice. Men in lust are _animals_ , I did what was necessary.~ said Charles to Jean silently. Then she knew, within a blink of a second, that he was alluding to Scott's latest behavior – the way he took her on the carpet- like an animal, and how she did not resist for his momentary madness. She gulped as she also realized that Xavier was not going to let this go. He will confront Scott, and there will be consequences.

~Thank you~ she said without words. Only a few were ever needed with Xavier. But then she gulped again as she saw the change on Remy's face. It was a small change- indifference replaced with curiosity- and he was scanning Loki's appearance now and probably wondering what the professor meant  by his strange suggestion of them both teaching each other a lesson… but he did not have too much time to solve the mystery, for the wheels were in motion already.

~Prepare yourself, Jean. Here comes the bride…~  

~Heavens help us…~

She raised her eyes slowly, as slowly as she could- to try and prolong the fabricated peacefulness – but apparently Rogue was in a hurry. She skidded downstairs in a short red skirt and black stockings, mumbling –"Sorry I'm late- I was onl-"

Then, Jean thought, it was as though Xavier froze time like he did on some rare occasions- nobody moved and nobody spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Bobby even had a fork stuck in his mouth and it was hanging on his lip horizontally, pointing at the center of attention. Angel was as white as a corpse, Kitty was petrified and the Professor only observed – his body a statue and his face blank- his eyes were sharp and alert, and they were switching from Rogue to Remy. Loki was staring at his hands as if they could provide him answers- it was the first time that Jean felt a tinge of sympathy for the man from the stars and she needed to struggle with herself to not enter his mind.

A strident creak of a chair against the floor was the kickstart of the escalation- as Remy detached from his seat and straggled to his feet unseeing – " _Cherie_ -" he uttered in a haunted voice and walked towards his old love. –"No." said Rogue and turned to leave and he followed- as quick and as nimble as a shadow- his coat flapping at his heels as he leapt soundlessly. They both ran upstairs- _The thief chases the tramp- because they both belong in the streets, and they both belong together._ Then a door slammed, and it was quiet again.

The second to move was Loki who jumped up with clenched fists, swearing, and the third was Angel who gripped him and held him in a brotherly hug –"Lockster, don’t! don't!" – they both dropped to the floor, chairs and wings and all- and struggled there like two wild bears – like _animals -_ with punches and scratches and growling- rolling together all the way to the living room while violently battling. Kitty started crying hysterically as Bobby also joined the pile, to try and restrain Loki, and Jean yelled –"Get Angel out of it! He cannot risk himself- he has to _rest_!"   _which was absurd, and she knew it._

Scott was the fourth to join the altercation and manhandled Angel out of there, picking him up by the hood of his sweatshirt and dragging him to the side, then holding him against a wall by his chest –"Stay!" he hollered –"Fucking STAY!"

"Don't harm him!"

"Why would we harm him, Warren?" Scott said, hitting Angel against the wooden wall a couple of times –"Do you want your head split open again, huh? Is that what you're after?"

"No but… he listens to me… please!"

"He listens to you? Does he look like he can listen to _anyone_ right now? You stay put, Warren. I'm warning you!" said Summers.

In the main arena Jean saw how Bobby tried to freeze Loki and failed time and time again, _the bastard had magic-_ then Storm came to the rescue- forming a minor hurricane that held Loki in place until Xavier and Jean were able to bind him with telekinesis and he was pinned to the living room carpet with malice in his glare and a foaming mouth –"What's mine is _mine_ " he spat and writhed –"Mine."

"A woman isn't an object, nor a slave in this world, Loki of Asgard and you do not possess her. However, if her _heart_ is truly yours than no other man will be able to take it away." Said Storm calmly –"and anyways acting like a lunatic will get you nowhere."

"Let me talk to him!" cried Angel from his prison in the corner.

"Later, Warren." Said the Professor –"When he has regained his common sense, I promise. Deliver him to my study." He ordered Jean –"And be _tolerant_ about it."

"Yes, Sir." Said Jean in a stuffed voice. It was Loki who brought troubles on them, not Remy, but she had to follow Xavier's orders- she had no other choice.

*

His scent. It was his _scent_ that caught her first like an invisible hand, not his voice, not his looks, not him coming after her. The scent – an exclusive mixture of aftershave and leather and smoke and sweat and sex- the smell of his _love_ , and the smell of his _words_. The scent that lingered on the pillow on his right side of the bed when he left. The scent that stuck to her clothes and her skin for many days and years and now kicked into the air all the fallen leaves. The memories of them so close and untouching, and so wanting to touch – him in his persistence, determination and devotion- to stay with her despite their physical distance- it was phenomenal. She never believed there would be a man, a fine man, who would be willing to stay with her in that forced situation. But Remy did. The collar, when it came- enhanced their closeness, but it was never about that. The collar was only a cherry on top of a spiritual love, a deep love, impossible love- that was now forgotten, at _the bottom of things._

He was standing with his back to the door, fearing to come near –"You run from me, _Cherie_?" he asked, part understanding, part seeking for a reason.

"I ran. But I am not running anymore." Said Rogue, standing by the window. Everything hurt. Her eyes, and her heart, and her soul, and her sex.

"You want the explanation?" asked her broken lover, his copper hair brushing his eyelids –"I tried to tell you, but you were _fire- screaming and shouting_. I do not love her, Cherie. It was business."

"You never told me about her." Said Rogue painfully –"We kept no secrets from each other, and then… this!"

"We kept many secrets, Marie." Answered Remy –"Why spoil the love we 'ad for past accidents? Eh?"

"You can ask _yourself_ that question." Retorted Rogue and her heart was hammering in her chest. She wanted his hands on her again, and she also wanted to _forget_.

"My answer is dat I made a mistake. Big mistake."

"That is too late to fix."

"Why, Cherie?"

"Because if I was enough for you, you would have never agreed to even _talk_ to her, let alone see her, let alone meet her behind my back for _weeks_! Never telling me _anything_!" Snapped Rogue –"Because, if I was enough for you, you would have married me like you promised _years_ ago. Because-" she started crying –"if I was enough for you, you would have never. _Ever_. Let me go." She was sobbing in earnest now, not even knowing for sure where it came from- it was a flood of emotions engulfing her, taking her to the familiar regions of her insecurity and her rejection and _shame_. Taking her on an undulating tide, to the safety of the love of her life. Her one and only.

"Ah, no no no!" cried Remy –"hush, _mon amour_ , I am not worth it." He came close and hugged her tightly, naturally- running his calloused hands up and down her spine –"not for a _swamp rat_ … you remember calling me dat?". Rogue nodded. Her face was in his coat and in his shirt and he continued –"never worth it." And she hugged him in return. His lips were on her ear –"I missed you, but you are not the same, _Cherie_."

She chocked at his words and clung to his coat, not knowing what to say. His lips descended to her neck, gliding over the skin. It was so delicate and intimate of a gesture that she almost fell apart completely. She knew she would see him again, somewhere in the back of her consciousness, but she never guessed that it could feel so comforting and so great. In her imagination, she yelled at him and threw things and swore – but in the numerous dialogues she held with him in her fantasies- a hug, a simple hug, a sincere hug- was never a possibility. The fact that he could touch her without filters only befuddled her more. Sometimes, during their relationship it happened- and he was touching her without being affected by her powers. They called these rare moments "golden", but here, it was manifesting, a golden moment- out of nowhere. _To tell her what?_ That they had a future? That they belong together? And perhaps it was just a fluke…

He kissed her neck softly and tenderly, then his finger went up and touched the itching rash that was blooming constantly around her throat these days. She could feel his pain, not hers, when he spoke –"Oo is da man?" his fingers now touching her cheek –"tell me, Cherie."

Rogue shook her head from side to side reluctantly. He should not know about it, never know anything about it, but she saw how his Adam's apple bobbed as he kept stroking her face so lovingly, and she knew that his sharp mind was working –"I know da man." He uttered gravely, his voice heavy and drawling- the shine in his eyes diminishing –"for I 'ad seen ees visage- with da black 'air, Cherie? You want 'im?" he hugged her even tighter when came no answer, because she did not know what the answer was, or if it even existed.

"Not from this world, da man. And indecisive. And _bizarre_."

"So were you." Said Rogue –"so you are even now."

 "Will 'ee know 'ow to treat you?" inquired Remy. As if he was just waiting to get rid of her… and this was the perfect opportunity. Rogue couldn't read minds, but in his attire she sensed his release and his relief.

  "I am not a dog" said Rogue.

"No. Not a _chiot_ , and not mine." Then he took her chin and kissed her full on the lips. Rogue did not resist.

*


	40. Emperor of Entropy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phewwww....! This was hard. But this is the end, beautiful friend, the END.  
> some fluff and closure and angst and rough sex and happily ever after all around :P

_I am up in the clouds_  
_And I can't, and I can't come down_  
_I can watch but not take part_

_Where I end and where you start_  
_Where you, you left me alone_  
_You left me alone_  
  
_X will mark the place_  
_Like the parting of the waves_  
_Like a house falling in the sea_

_I will eat you all alive_

_There'll be no more lies_

_**I will eat you all alive** _

_[Radiohead]_

"Yes." Said Xavier pleasantly, his hands in his lap –"I have patience and I can wait for as long as it takes for your explanation, until you feel ready to present it to me."

"There's nothing to explain." Snapped Loki who was glued to the chair by telekinetic powers on the other side of the professor's desk. A recalcitrant strand of hair was tickling his nose and the edges of his mouth for over ten minutes now, and he kept on blowing at it and shaking his head to get it off his face.

"Are you sure, Prince of Asgard? Because hitting Angel was not something I could foresee coming from you."

"I haven't hit the birdman; I was only defending myself." Insisted Loki –"He attacked _me_. Perhaps this _quasi-empty skull_ of his is starting to affect his judgment, and I do not believe a blow to the head did him any better."

"There's no need to be cruel now, Laufeyson. I hear that you are angry." Continued the professor in a steady voice.

"Angry!" huffed Loki, then hissed between clenched teeth –"You haven't seen me get angry quite yet!" And his eyes flashed Jotun-red menacingly.

"And I also see," Xavier hummed with interest –"that your powers finally found a way to resurface. Congratulations."

"No thanks to your training, your trackers or your hospitality." Spat Loki with venom and his expeditious tongue began tingling, because he wanted to say much more than that. He wanted to hurt and wound with words, because his hands and his charms were held down.

"No, no thanks to us." agreed the professor –"Your powers are yours by right." And then he was in his head and Loki fought him with all his might, hiding his precious thoughts from the mental invasion forced upon him until his forehead was shining with perspiration and the wayward strand of hair stuck there, to tickle him into insanity. He swore in his mother tongue.

 "The _Aesir_ … " muttered the professor with wonder –"They wish to claim you back?"

"They wish my rotting _corpse_ in the halls of _Hel_." Loki growled so that his throat ached –"My dear father is planning to eliminate me if I go back and to eradicate me if I don't; So as you can see, I am in a bit of an imbroglio."

"Indeed. But the good news is that you will be staying here."

"In your dreams and nightmares, _old man_." Loki stressed the invective and rattled with his chair –"My time in this _fetid_ prison has come to an end, and I have absorbed more than enough of the stupidity and vanity of mankind. I shall no more be brought down to this ignominy!" his voice was so loud he was almost shouting at the professor, and his hands hurt from all the futile pulling at his unseen restraints –"My course will be set to another realm where my dear loving father cannot follow... And if you let me go quietly, I shall vanish like a specter; but if you try to keep me here against my will, I shall demolish this house and all of its inhabitants, including the _children_ whose genitals and eyeballs you shall find floating in your morning coffee, _Sire_."

"A fine threat well-spoken." Answered Xavier calmly and his wise eyes stared into Loki's –"but it is your broken heart and broken ego that I hear."

"My ego can be repaired and the rest of me is ice."

"Unless it melted for a certain mutant, whom you are in love with." Suggested the professor and Loki gave a high-pitched laughter, shaking his head. When he spoke again his voice was dark and sinister.

"You've come to witness a very mild side of my personality." He said caustically, his tongue now all warmed up and armed for the stinging –"I keep no lovers, old man. Only _slaves_ to quench my seething thirst. And once they go missing or out of order- those could be _replaced_." He sent the words into the air between them like a swarm of wasps, and watched them settling in the mind of the man in the wheelchair, waiting for a horrified expression and continuing when none appeared –"However, I do thank you for offering me such a fine _victim_. I enjoyed her greatly and managed not to pulverize her insides with my cock, because I was being on my _best_ behavior." He leaned forward, as much as the restrains allowed him and whispered his following words –"because I knew that if I destroyed her, you will have no other slave to grant me. But- as I fucked her, if you really wish to know, Professor- I envisioned myself strangling her until she was bereft of breath and bubbling, -"

"Okay. Alright-" the professor cut him off, raising one hand to signal him to stop –"This _tongue_ you own has loosened, and it is contaminating my ears with utter _nonsense_."

Loki blinked at him, enraged and offended –"I am _serious_."  He barked –"Or would you like a _demonstration_?"

"Yes, you may believe that you are serious." Nodded the professor –"But your tongue is telling rabid tales when your heart is true- so why don't you save your costly energy and sullied stories. I am sorry to inform you, Loki, but at this rock-bottom- you are nothing but an artful _liar_."

"We all have our offices to fill." Said Loki flatly, feeling drained all of a sudden and shutting his eyes, his treacherous heart pounding below his ribs. The lies he was so proud of weaving no longer were his agency, and to the telepath they were but crafty jokes that made the trickster look a clown.

 "and I am the _Lord_ of Lies, aren't I." he muttered bitterly and leaned back in the torture chair.

"No need for that here, with me." Said Xavier lightly –"the ways of lies are winding roads that stretch the distance between you and your goals, Loki. Sometimes the shortest path is honesty."

Loki opened his tired eyes and replied insidiously -"Then I _honestly_ swear that I am up to no good."

"How unexpected." Sighed Xavier –"You know what this means, your majesty? That it's going to be a long conversation still."

"Be it so. You will find nothing."

"Most likely." Agreed Charles –"However, _you_ might find _something_."

"I _sincerely_ doubt it."  

"My, my… you are in quite a mood, aren't you?" commented the professor –"but breaking it down will have to wait a little longer, as I am required elsewhere, to take care of an urgent business, Loki."

Loki shook from his self-pity to peer at the professor's steady gaze –"You _pretend_ to know everything about me and to have all the solutions and all the answers, when in truth you are groping in the darkness, guessing your way into the souls of your subjects. Hoping to hit a nerve and to make them feel as though you've _exposed_ some clandestine core within them. They believe you," continued the demigod –"because you can be very convincing and charismatic. But you know _nothing_ , and you tell them _nothing_. I could read minds in my days and I know like yourself that thoughts and feeling change constantly. You only do this to compensate for your _disability_."

"Sour words from a sour heart." Concluded the professor –"But I really must go."

"Go where you will."

"Will you be a good boy and stay put for me until I return?"

"There's no way of knowing." Replied Loki grimly. That was a truth. The professor wheeled behind the desk and made way to the door of his study. As he was at it, he stopped for a moment to reach a hand towards Loki's face, and although the trickster recoiled the Professor managed to brush the annoying strand of hair and tuck it behind his ear. Loki almost muttered 'thank you', but decided to say nothing.

*

Jean was impatient as she waited with the uninvited girl in the living room. She kept on throwing nasty glares at her, and not because she was very pretty. She just knew that the girl was _lying_ about being a mutant, but she had no way to prove it because the girl was _nonsuggestive_. A very uncommon trait in humans, but sometimes it was just there. A block. A barrier. Jean could not see into her mind, and it was just her stupid luck that such a girl would appear in the mansion tonight and demand to see Xavier when all hell was breaking loose around them. Jean thought that handling Loki was tenfold more important, but when she telepathically messaged Charles about the girl he said he'd come straight away. _Strange_.  

It was not long before the professor wheeled into the living room with a welcoming and kind expression on his face. That was perplexing. _Did the conversation with Loki go so well??_

"Hello there." He said- this wasn't for Jean. It was for the stranger.

The girl lit up and got to her feet to shake the professor's hand eagerly –"Hello." She said hurriedly, excitedly –"I didn't believe you'd agree to see me… this is… this is great. Thank you so much."

"It's fine." Chuckled the wheeled man –"Sit down, young woman. Let me take a look at you."  The girl sat back down on the sofa, knees fidgeting nervously, and Jean saw how the professor was trying to read her mind and how he encountered that same boundary.

~She's a nonsuggestive~ said Jean telepathically.

~curious~ replied the professor and his eyes were squinting.

"Tell us, girl." He said in an amused tone –"What brings you here."

"The… the internet." Replied the girl and her dark locks danced about her face –"I've… read about you guys. I've searched in forums and on facebook pages … Incognito, of course." She stressed –"I would never endanger this project… "

"This project?" asked Jean unkindly.

"The X-Men." Said the girl in a low voice –"That's what they call you… I dunno if it's official, but this is a school for the gifted, isn't it?"

Jean did not reply.

"A haven for _mutants_."

"So you seek refuge here, because you're a mutant." Questioned Jean, using her harshest tone. She wanted to scare her. She wanted to know what was going on under these black locks.

"N.. n.. no." stuttered the girl –"I'm not a mutant. Sorry for saying this, I mean… sorry about lying. I'm a zoologist."

_Not a mutant. What a surprise._ "So you came here to take a look at us freaks." Jean pushed on.

"No! of course not!" the girl got so upset she stood back on her feet and explained herself apologetically to Jean –"I just had to meet you. I _had_ to come here and see. That it's _true_. I guess…" her turquoise eyes shone with genuine excitement, but Jean frowned and crossed her arms.

"Clever girl." Said Xavier and smiled, finding Jean's eyes- but she did not approve and he continued –"How can we help you?"

"I am looking for a Warren Worthington." Said the girl, her tanned cheeks colouring deeply –"Big guy. With… well. Wings. White wings, blonde hair. Blue eyes… Looks like an angel. Have… have you perhaps met him? Do you know who he is? My name's Candice." She ducked to open her stuffed bag that rested on the sofa and pulled out a winter coat Jean's recognized to be Angel's and a jacket turned inside-out and stained with blood. She laid the clothing on the armrest with care. Finally, she reached into her bag and took out two snow-white feathers that she placed on the table with a trembling hand –"If you do know him, I assume you'll know these items." She said, looking hopefully into Xavier's face –"and if you don't, then since you are members of the mutant community-"

"There is no mutant community." Said Jean.

"I didn't mean it like that." Startled Candice –"I do not know how to address you Ma'am. Sorry if it came out offensive… I just meant that you all-"

"Fall under the same category in your 'Zoology 101' field guide?"

~Jean!~

"Absolutely not! The truth is that I care for him. And for your entire-"

"Race?"

~Jean!!~

The girl chose not to respond to that last attempt at provoking her. Instead she licked her lips, thinking for a silent moment, before speaking again –"I was harassed by two very human _fuckheads_ on the dancefloor at a Halloween party. I wasn't even dancing, just passing through on my way to the bar to look for my fellow-students. These guys grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. They spilled their drinks on me and rubbed their crotches on my costume- thought it was hilarious. I _screamed_  but nobody noticed, because the music was so loud… then Warren showed up. I thought he was their friend at first and that I was done for, but he drove them off and then drove me home."

"A gentleman." Said Charles.

"So he left these at your place?" inquired Jean and picked up one of the feathers, examining it closely. It could either have come from Warren's wing, or a gigantic swan.

"Yes."  Admitted Candice –"on other occasions. He was dressed as a bat that first night."

"And the blood?"

"I wasn't home that time, but I figured he got caught on the barb-wired fence as he climbed or accidently flew into it, if it was stormy."

"Why are your dorms so heavily secured?"

"There was a mass shooting there couple of years back. That was before my time, but –

"Did you post photos of you and him together on Instagram while you were dating?"

"I don't own an Instagram account." Said Candice and since she felt by now this was a personal attack, she closed her bag and shouldered it –"I'm sorry to have bothered you. Please just get his things back to him. Thanks for nothing."

"A pretty girl without an Instagram account?"

"You don't know me, Lady."

~Jean that is quite enough~

"You can hand them to him yourself, Candice." Offered Xavier kindly –"We know him. We know him, and we'll set things straight."

~Professor!~

~It's alright, my apprentice.~

"Really??" the girl grabbed her hair and turned her back to Jean as she spun a full circle –"Oh, my god. Oh, my god… I cannot believe it-" she covered her face with her palms.

~Go get Warren~ came the order.

~Whatever~ said Jean, and went upstairs, rolling her eyes. ~but if she blabs about us to the entire universe, it's on you, Professor.~

Couples and coupling everywhere. What's next? Slimy babies, some with wings, crawling on the living room carpet? Disgusting. Absolutely _disgusting_.

"Warren, get your feathered ass down here!" she ordered as she banged on his door.

"Okay, I'm coming!" cried Warren.

"Yes, you will be cumming in her pussy in no time, that's for sure." Said Jean to herself out loud.

"What?" the door opened and Angel was standing there with no shirt on- because why would you bother wearing a shirt if your body was perfect and your brain was deadweight- rubbing his wet hair with a towel –"Did you say something?"

"No, you idiot. You're probably starting to hear voices now. Just get downstairs, there's a Candy waiting for you there."

"Oh." Said Warren –"OH!" and got back to his room to spray on some perfume.

*

Xavier was gone. He was gone. And in his absence Loki felt that his restraints were somewhat faltering. He struggled against the mental hold physically until he came with his chair to the floor - grunting. The hard boards chafed his cheek, and he was squirming his body in a caterpillar motion and crawling towards the door, dragging the chair behind him. Nothing was unfamiliar about this predicament- for half of his life he was thrown, tossed and punished, beaten and defeated and humiliated… but this time was different. This time, Loki truly didn't think he deserved it. All of his actions this evening were perfectly legitimate- for there was a lurking _thief_ who had done his best to steal the trickster's mate away, and he was not going to let him just taker her. Rather, he would take his _life_ in exchange. _That would be fair._ When he managed to open the door by straining and stretching for the handle with his teeth and mouth- he got stuck still, trying to get through the threshold with a chair pasted to his arse. Was this the end of his road? _Smeared on the floor as the bandit was filling her up with his seed._ He closed his eyes and cursed so fiercely he felt that his putrid words were gaining shape and form and departed from his mouth as avenging shadows who were now freed – seeking to put his misery into noxious deeds. In his eyes, he was never evil- but sometimes evil _used_ him as a tool for getting borne into existence. Crippled and crumbled and fused to a piece of furniture, Loki could not see how he would liberate himself from this quicksand. For a moment, he even wanted to weep. He was indeed on the threshold of losing all hope- but then, panting, he called out in his mind. And he _prayed_.

~Mother…~ he thought with intention, banging his forehead against the open door repeatedly ~Dear mother… take me away from this shithole, and I shall ask for nothing nevermore… ~

It was a pathetic moment, a sad picture of a fallen God wallowing in the quagmire of rancid sorrow and holding together just barely the pieces of his shattered essence. Praying to other deities because he could not save himself for the life of him.

He pursed his lips a kicked the legs of the chair until his ankles hurt when he thought he heard a murmur- his breath arrested in his chest – _was she there? Was she listening? Was she watching him?_ He froze in his folded position on the floor and gaped a few times, like a fish out of water ~Mother?"

A low crackle was emitting from his fingertips – to imply that his body was starting to refill with the inexplicable force he was hosting since childhood and Frigga taught him how to manipulate. But what shall he do with that smidgen of magic? His powers were overly exhausted by his rushed flight from his father, and the sparkle he had now had to be used wisely for it will be hours before he gets another chance. _Use your brains._ Xavier's powers were telekinetic- meaning that he could affect and move objects with his mind. What would he do to keep Loki in one place? Move both objects – the chair and Loki- and ask them to stick together? But one of these objects didn't have to _be_. Loki inhaled deeply because this was a long shot. On the other hand, he had no other ideas and he was running out of time. Doubtfully, he pressed all ten fingers to the chair and concentrated, wishing it into oblivion. Unmaking things was his least favorite trick and always made him feel sickly; however, if he only sent the chair somewhere else, he would have been sent along with it. _And that would have been counterproductive._ There was a soft popping sound and then a welcome emptiness. As the trickster tried to move about he found that he was free at last- which was a huge relief; nevertheless, as he got to his feet and shook his numb limbs he noticed that the magic was incomplete and a large piece of wood, as long as a forearm was still sticking to his leg persistently.

"To _Hel_ with it!" he swore and started running.

*

Angel was more than ever looking as goofy as an oversized child. He was holding Candice's hand on the sofa as the professor interviewed them at length. Jean thought that the planets must have aligned that night because however else could the number of coincidences be as skyrocketing as it was. They should have never taken that alien in, should have never brought him into their household. At least Warren seemed content as he admired the jawline of his lover, watching her speaking about her research and probably not understanding a word.

~You remember that you cannot have sex, right?~

Warren snapped out of his daydreaming and stared at Jean with horror.

~I mean it, feathers.~

He swallowed a visible lump in his throat in reply.

"I'm just so lucky to have met you guys." Said Candice, cuddling against Angel's arm –"And I can't believe I almost let this slip…"

_Blah blah blah_

"Dear child," said Charles –"I was wondering. Once you are done with your research, and if everything goes well- would you be interested in a permanent job around here? We are always in need of brilliant minds."

"Yes!" beamed Candice and kissed Warren on his perfect lips –"Of course. That would be great! Thank you!"

_Oh my **fucking** god. _

"Professor." Jean coughed to get his attention –"Since I am only standing here like a lamppost, can I be _excused_?"

"Oh… Yes." Said Charles –"By all means. Go where you need to go."

"Thank you." She barked and had the intention to go to her room, but on second thought she marched towards the front door, swung it open and slammed it behind her as she left them to discuss whatever stupid and unrealistic plans they were forming in the pink bubble a universe they've just invented. That Warren should be able to hold a relationship for over six months and have his girlfriend around him all the freaking time?? _Yeah, on the first of **never**.  _

It was not long before Jean was crying, which didn't help her see where she was headed, or make her feel any better. She crossed the garden of dead roses, trampling in the mud, and walked on to the training grounds. She walked around the archery field and she was sobbing, thanking the rain for hiding the miserable sounds that she made as she kept on wiping her tears and other fluids, to no avail. She was completely soaked- inside and out- as she reached the stables. She entered the wooden shed and searched for the new horse's booth- to see that she was not frightened by the storm. The beast was just standing there calmly, shaking her head gracefully when she noticed Jean. Her coat was gleaming and glimmering in the moonlight – silver bright. She was a fine mare indeed. A rare gift.

"Vind, come here sweetheart." Coaxed Jean softly and extended her hand into the kennel. The young filly whinnied and trotted towards Jean happily, popping her head and neck out and nuzzling into Jean's neck.

"My, you are a cute one, aren't you!" muttered Jean with astonishment, holding the mare's head in her hands and staring into one big blue eye –"Are you homesick, baby?" she asked without thinking –"Do you miss the nice gentle horses of Asgard? Yes, yes, you do. You don't want these crude suitors who will mount you given half a chance and scratch your back with their hooves…" she wrapped her arms around the horse's neck and pressed her forehead against Vind's warm one, thinking about taking her out for a short ride- when she heard footsteps from behind.

It was so sudden and Jean was so startled that she screamed and backed further into the shed blindly, seeking for the generator of the sound with haunted eyes- and finding _Thor_ standing in a moonbeam. A big shadow of massive muscles and enormous armor that no human could have carried without crushing under it.

"Gods, you've scared me! What is your business here!?"

"I stuck around to see that she was doing alright." Answered the God

"How considerate."

The mighty being then stepped closer to her and studied her face, which was awkward and bluntly embarrassing –"What?" she snapped –"Why are you looking at me like that??"

"Apparently, she is not well." Said Thor, his blonde hair waving slightly in the winds coming from outside.

"Who?" asked Jean, befuddled.

"The lady." Said the God –"She has been crying." and hoisted his hand to touch her face, but Jean caught it mid-motion and held it down.

"Hey, hey!" she yelled angrily –"Hold your _horses_ , you privileged blockhead!"

He stared at her with amazement.

"What!" she berated him –"What's the big surprise, douchbag? back home in the clouds, do you just take any woman because you feel like it?"

"Yes." Nodded the God.

"I should have thought so, after seeing your brother's manners." She said to herself –"But here on earth we have a concept called _consent_. You have to ask for permission before you touch another person. Get it?"

"Yes." Said Thor again, his blue eyes shining with amusement –"I wasn't thinking about taking you, but since you've mentioned it- may I have your consent?"

Jean looked him up and down with tightened lips, wanting to comment about his rudeness again, but her mouth was saying -"Fuck, yeah." and she jumped him _you can have my consent and everything else._ They went down as one to roll in the hay.

*

Loki ran.

The corridors- once a confusing labyrinth of Midgard style and a source of many errors, were now a chart he had mapped in his mind- turning a known corner, and another. Almost _smelling_ his way to her chambers, his cock guiding him subconsciously, although Odin always maintained that the member was deceitful- well, fuck him. Fuck his throne and fuck his piety and fuck his kingdom in the clouds. His father wanted him _dead_ , and if there was a one thing he was determined to do before kicking the bucket, it was dipping his dick in the sparkling fountain. Correction: killing the crook, then dipping his cock in her cunt.

The trickster flew through the last hallway at a Godspeed and as he pressed his thumb to the padlock he truly thought he was going to enter a scene of blazing lovemaking and that he would have to come between them, violently, murder the man and violate the girl-

But. When he touched the electric lock, it was obvious that there was not an iota of magic left in him to manipulate it. The door was denying him entry.

Mad and deranged, the trickster beat the barrier repeatedly with his fist, hollering –"Let me in, Mutant!"

"Gosh. I will!" Came Marie's muffled voice from within her chambers –"Stop shouting." But Loki kept banging on the door until his mate finally opened it. Then he pushed her aside and stepped inside- his hunter's eyes seeking the thief he was so eager to vaporize. However, the room was quiet and gloomy, and all of his hunger to harm had met no fitting target. He found the thief standing beside the bed with hunched shoulders and hands in his pockets. The bed in which he penetrated her many-a-times. Perhaps they both did- him and him. Surely, they both did. But he did not want to think about that. The pair was fully dressed and there was no sign of sex. These facts might have calmed him; unless he caught a faint flicker in the gaze of his mutant to imply that she was guilty of some shady activity.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he said ironically.

"I was leaving, _mon ami_." Said Remy and made his way towards the door –"If you were interrupting something, you 'ad a good timing. I go."  

"Leaving." Repeated Loki and paced closer until he was facing the thief –"So soon? After coming all the way out here?"

"Loki, stop it." Said Rogue.

"You shut up and sit this one out quietly; not a movement, not a word!" he pointed his finger at her, but she puffed her cheeks with frustration and crosser her arms –"This is stupid, you guys-"

"I said _silence_ , mutant."

"You are insulting de _Mademoiselle_."  remarked Gambit, a hidden warning in the undertone of his baritone.   

"Really? You find _that_ offensive?" returned Loki derisively as he strolled even closer to Gambit –"You haven't heard the manner in which I speak to her when she is impaled on my co-" the robber grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket and lifted him from the ground until they were face to face and Loki's legs were swimming in air.   

" _Attention_ , homme d'étoiles, you are stepping into Gambit's personal space." Said the scruffy man with the chocolate eyes- which now seemed to change their color into crimson. –"You've picked the wrong gender when you came here. I am only civilized with de women."  

"A civilized pirate?" said Loki in a choked voice, for he was gasping for air and his face was turning red –"I am rather sure that's a made-up concept."

"Den I will plant you in de ocean where you could use this plank of yours as a raft, and we will see what you make of real pirates, dieu des ruses."

"Right after I'll plant your head in the toilet." Agreed the trickster and reached for the man's coat when a generous punch collided with his nose and he stumbled backwards and met the wall, sliding to the floor as in slow motion because for a moment he had no control over his body.

"Remy!" cried Rogue.

"'ad enough, or do you want an _encore_?" asked Gambit, looking bored as he towered above him.

Loki's eyes shone dangerously as he assessed the damage and found that he was bleeding –"Encore? This is merely the first act."

"Stop it, you idiots! Stop it!" cried Rogue.

"Another round?" asked Loki as he clambered back to his feet.

"Non." Said Gambit and stepped back –"I will not fight you for a girl who wants me no more. I never go where I am uninvited." And he was manly and proud, sticking his chin up, almost offended by the unuttered suggestion that he should fight Loki for a love that was squandered by his former partner, according to his version of the truth.

" _Lies_." Said Loki –"Who invited you here?"

"Cherie did, but you did not know, eh?" boasted the man –"full of secrets, da girl is. but c'est fini- me and 'er."  

"Finished?" tried Loki, smearing his own blood on his leather shirt.

"Oui." Admitted Gambit –"I go now."

"No." insisted Loki and pointed his slender blood-stained finger at the thief.

"What is it, Asgard cheat." Said Remy –"a game? I will beat you at anything."

"Not at my field."

"What is your field?" asked Gambit and pulled out a card from his pocket, the card glowed brightly once he held it in his hand, and he was aiming it at Loki.

"Magic." Said the trickster.

"You 'ave no magic, _menteur_. Otherwise you would 'ave blown me into smithereens already!"

Then they both crashed into each other in a blast of energy, the room- that was already messy to begin with- was stripped of all its accessories in seconds. Furniture and objects began flying around, and splashes of blood stained the walls and the sheets.  

Covered in his own fluids and dragging a wooden chair-leg behind, Loki grabbed the phony man by his coat, punching him in his perfect nose –"say it again!" he hollered –"Let's hear you sing, that you don't care, how you don't care for anything-" he kneed Remy in the stomach –"Speak! Say that you don't love her, you pile of excrement!"

" _Merde_!" replied Remy and hit Loki in the chin. The blow dazzled him and he spat out a tooth, he swayed dizzily, dropped and rested against the foot of the bed for ten seconds, then moved in again and headbutted the thief in his chest.

"I will see you dead."

"Non, you will see me at your funeral from below, as I piss on your grave." Said Gambit, and they were hugging their lethal hug once more, gnarling and throwing punches at each other. If this was how he was going to go, Loki didn't mind at that point. All he wanted to do was to make him stop breathing, and if he failed at it-

Rogue screamed and jumped on Loki from behind, he felt the heavy hit on his back, and her weight as she was riding his hips, locking her legs around his waist and hanging onto his shoulders, putting her fingers to his exposed throat – which sent a jolt of shocking electricity into his body and shook him like a puppet- but then he found a surge of power within him and threw Rogue flailing to the bed with a soft thump.

"Stay there!" he growled and moved in to pick up Remy from the floor. Then he collapsed and saw and felt no more.

*

" _Merci_." Said Remy as Rogue handed him a wet towel. He was sitting on the rolling chair next to her ruined bed and he looked foreign and betrayed. Loki was still passed out on the floor.

"I'm sorry." Said Rogue.

"It is _you_ that you should be sorry for, Cherie." Said Remy angrily –"da _fool_ you 'ave chosen to go with."

Rogue shrugged.

"Quoi? You think my words are air?"

"No." answered Rogue. –"but-"

"But you love 'im, eh?" Remy nodded and his kind eyes were hurt–"Sacré bleu, Cherie, I thought it will take time."

"It did."

"Oui, maybe not as long as Gambit thought… " his palm was on her cheek again, and she was rubbing into it, closing her eyes.

"You love me still, Cherie?" said he with wonderment.

"Yes."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Living… I guess."

"Oui, but I am not a toy." Said he –"Try de man, and if he fails you- and ee _will_ fail you- do not text me again, mon amour. My 'art is not flexible."

"Only flexible when it comes to some women, named Bella." Said Rogue viciously.

"Ah, I deserve dat." Said Gambit and got to his feet –"If you cannot forgive me for it, den we cannot restore what we 'ad- but you 'ave my heart, and you 'ave my apologie…" 

"It's not that." Said Rogue, finally daring to say what was brewing inside her for many months and years, waiting for an opportunity to get to _the bottom of things_.

"den what is it Cherie?" her ex-lover was obviously perplexed as he sat down on the bed –"Then I do not see…" his closeness was always a treat. Rogue felt his warmth and his goodness, and she could sense his undying love for her.

"You know how we would always fight? How we broke up every two weeks?

"Oui." He said heavily.

"Then I just… well… something wasn't working."

"Oui, _mais_ Cherie!" Gambit put his hand on her shoulder –"There were challenges, we were not a regular couple. Our jobs, your powers, you 'ad a thing for Wolverine-"

"You had a thing for Storm!" returned Rogue.

"Oui, mais… it never 'appened." His eyebrows were coming together –"dis was years ago…"

"Yes, and all of these years… you've never wanted to move forwards… you've never… you've…" she took a deep breath and composed herself so that she wouldn't get to tears again –"It took you ages to ask me to move in with you, and you've never asked me… "

"Cherie…" his hand on her shoulder was squeezing it empathically and his eyes were moist and brown.

"You've never asked me to marry you." She finished with an anticlimactic flatness –"You just _wouldn't_." she added, as if she'd only realized it now –"and…" she put her hand in his copper hair –"and the fact that I've recently discovered that there was a woman out there, that there _is_ someone that you were willing to commit to once and that you _still_ held loyalties to… well. It simply _killed_ me, Remy."

"I was young, Cherie." He said with glazing eyes.

"Is that what you have to say to me?" she fisted his hair to yank him out of his daydream.

"Non." He licked his lips and stared deeply into her eyes, reading her expression and focusing on her wounded neck –"I just wonder, do you think your _alien fou_ will give you a ring? Dat what you want from 'im?"

"No, you stupid swamp-rat…"  Rogue placed both her palms on his face now –"That was what I wanted from **_you_**."

She could see how the old form of endearment stabbed him, for he flinched and said –"I leave now."

"You leave." Agreed Rogue.

"Do not text me, Cherie. Promise."

"I won't." said Rogue and then they kissed, once. Perhaps because they still loved each other, and perhaps because they just were so ridiculously close. It was a sweet, aching kiss- full of sentiment and dolor as his bristles scratched her chin time and again, and his wet mouth sucked hers. For a moment she felt so hot and she was going to lay him down on the bed, and have him enter her one last time- or perhaps even claim him as her boyfriend for the gazillionth time- but it was a _lie_ , and he sensed it- and unlike her, he was strong enough to stop it.

"Non" he broke the kiss and pushed her gently away –"You will not play me, Rogue. I bid you _adieu_ "- then he was out the door.

*

It took her a long while to regain her senses, for she was quite overwhelmed. In Remy's absence she knew not what she was doing nor what she had done. She was in too much of a shock to know what was real and what wasn't, and moreover- she's just ended the longest and most meaningful relationship of her life. Therefore, it was no wonder that she completely forgot about Loki… until he moaned. The sound kicked her back into the here and now, and she instantly crouched beside him and stroked his hair, but it wasn't enough.

"Oh, gosh. Not again!" She shook him by his shoulders, but he would not wake. _Has she caused permanent damage?_ No no, please. Not today… she was so brief with the touch this time! She dragged him onto a blanket that she spread, then rushed to the bathroom to fill a cup of water and sprinkled it on his face. The alien opened his eyes slowly, and Rogue gasped in relief. Now she would have to explain everything to him. She would have to _lie_. And after that, she would have to create an illusion in which he was the one in control. _Ok. Alright._

"What happened?" demanded the alien.

Rogue batted her eyelashes and _lied_ –"Gambit knocked you out."

"Where is he!?" Loki got dizzily to his feet –"Speak!"

"Scott gave him a ride on his motorcycle." Lied Rogue again –"he heard the noise and just came in and took him… I dunno where they drove off to… " she pouted cutely, checking his expression all along –"They also wanted to take you to the sickbay, but I said no."

Loki frowned and grabbed her by her shoulder as he loomed above her –"You protected him!"

"Did not, calm down spaceboy."

"You love him?"

"I seriously don't." she lied once more, bravely, up against his hold.

"Is that so." Said Loki as he found her eyes, narrowing his orbs at what he could comprehend and was beyond words; and then he was velvet and quiet again, promising softly –"I fear that you _lie_ , Marie, but I will nevertheless fuck his memory out of you."

"I can live with that." Said she.

*

The thief was out- and he knew not how, and he was angry- for he could tell she was lying. _Lying straight to his face_. However, his fury brought forth a gladly received side-effect of salaciousness. The arousal he felt was staggering and mesmerizing- his dick was practically ramming into his zipper- all alert and ripe for _the taking_ \- which he was indeed going to perform once he had everything else rightly _orchestrated_.

"On your belly, mutant." He said very quietly, hardly holding himself from lunging at her and tearing her to pieces, because he was capable. Because he was willing. And because it was _right._

The girl turned as he asked and lay spread on the bed, holding onto the pillow for dear life and Loki knew that she knew this wasn't going to be very nice. She lied to him. She _cheated_ on him. And he was going to do what was needed to get her to acknowledge it. But he would not be harsh… he could very well get what he was after with gentle persuasion to hide his filthy intentions. _At least temporarily._  

"Your collar?" he asked coldly.

"It's in the first drawer." Answered the girl, unmoving. She was being obedient and that was a surprise, but it wasn't unwelcome and Loki decided to perhaps investigate about it once he was emptied and happy. Not now. Definitely not now.

"Why in the drawer and not on the nightstand?" inquired Loki, still constricted –"Were you trying to hold back evidence from someone in particular?"

"No." answered Rogue. That was a lie.

"No?" said Loki in a silky voice –"try again, Marie."

"Okay, okay…" she muttered against the pillow –"I didn't want you boys to _kill_ each other, okay? Because you're both insane. Oookay?"

"Okay." Said Loki placidly and opened the first drawer. He took the collar out and leaned towards her –"Raise your head, _Sugah_."

Rogue broke away from the pillow and narrowed her eyes at him –"Watcha call me that for?"

"I'm feeling particularly inspired."  Answered Loki and put the collar around her neck with a satisfying clicking sound as the gadget fell into place.

"I hope it's a good thing." Said she with an unhappy grunt.

"Pardon me?" the trickster grabbed her by her chin and craned his neck so he could look her in the face.

"I said I hope it's a good thing."

"I heard you twice. But you are hardly in a position to judge my acts or to doubt them after what happened tonight."

"Nothing happened tonight, you delirious demon."

"That is a matter of perspective. Spread your legs." He ordered, relishing the soft sounds she made as she obeyed him, and the shudder that went through her shoulders as he opened his zipper and freed the dragon.

"You fear me, mutant?" he inquired, savoring every second of her unspoken panic.

"No, Loki, I _fear_ your strange _mood_." She answered.

"Good, because you should." Said he and pulled her skirt upwards, revealing her firm buttocks in the tight stockings. He held not a particular passion for clothing- it was nakedness that he appreciated –"You have aggravated me, Marie." He tore away her stockings with one sharp tug, then trailed the line of her underwear as she gasped –"What you did with him-"

"I did nothing with him!" she barked.

"Cease this _lying_ mutant!" growled Loki –"I can _smell_ him on your skin. You better confess before I will see that you have more than a rash on your neck."

"Okay. Okay **_fine_**! We kissed. We kissed once. So what. He was my boyfriend!" cried the girl and raised her head from the pillow, but Loki grabbed her by her neck and held her down.

"And what am I!?"

"My rebound? My part time lover?" she tried.

"Your _part-time_ lover?" Loki repeated, tasting the words on his lips. His grip on her neck getting stronger and pressing her down to the mattress.

"Or did you want more than that?" challenged Marie, obviously uncaring of how rough he had gotten with her –"because you really could have fooled me, spaceboy."

_Ah, she is just asking for it._

"We'll see what you make of me when I am done with you." Said he.

"Done with me? As in gone? As in leaving?" challenged Rogue again, and once again she raised her head and Loki brought her down again, angrily.

"I'll tell you what is gone." He hissed, fumbling for the golden chain and once finding it, breaking it loose from around her neck with a merciless jerk – then throwing it out the window –"Your old love is gone, Marie." He said cruelly –"No knight in a thief's clothing to save you now. I took care of that."

"Save me from what?"

"My _wrath_." Replied Loki, his voice lewd and louring, but the mutant did not seem alarmed by any of that. She even thought it was safe enough to mumble some sentimental hogwash as she turned on her back seductively -" _You_ are my knight, spaceman." She said and placed her palm on his face, her olive eyes shining –"do you not _get_ it?"

"On your stomach, mutant!" growled Loki, eyes stinging, and turned her around forcefully, pressing her down –"and do not move again unless you're told to."

"Fine!"  Rogue huffed.

"Fine." Replied Loki and ripped her underwear away, casting the remains to the side of the bed. He moved in to touch his cock to her folds, but didn't enter. The mutant was gorgeously wet and she moaned and shivered while he was rubbing her with the slick and teasing at her entrance. His cock only prodding, keeping her craving and on the edge for who knows how long. He could do that forever and more, and he would have her lubricate herself into dehydration and still not grant her the joy of his magical member. _Or perhaps not..._ The demigod was also losing himself in the addictive monotony of it – closing his eyes and ultimately drifting into a state of peacefulness, his antsy malice dissolving - but then something else demanded his attention and drove him out of meditation- there was a stick still stuck to his leg and repeatedly trying to climb up his calf. He did not want to envision himself engaging in coitus with that nuisance rolling around with them.

"Damn the ghosts of Valhalla!" he grunted.

"What? Locks, what's wrong?" said Rogue hazily and clearly sorry that he moved away.

"Hand over that blanket." He ordered and Rogue shifted to pull the blanket from beneath her and offer it to him. It was warm and damp and smelled of her carnality.

"What are you doing with this thing?" she wondered and turned around to follow his actions as he was trying to remove the inanimate parasite.

"I am pitching at tent. What do you reckon??"

The giggle that came ringing from lips was both irritating and stimulating at the same time. A creamy sensation was setting in his chest and he smirked despite himself- for he appreciated it when he was able to amuse her.

"I reckon you're barking mad." She laughed still –"Why is it following you?"

"Xavier." Replied Loki –"He decided to give me a going away gift- that is now _going away_!"  he roared as he eventually succeeded in detaching the peg from his body and wrapping it up in the blanket.

"Quick, open that drawer-" he said as he was battling with the mindless object and Rogue jerked to open the drawer and help him stock it inside, then lock the drawer with a key- securing the thumping thing in the darkness.

"Oh my gosh." Cried Rogue –"that was hilarious." And she was yet being attacked by bursts of giggling as Loki picked her in his arms and carried her back to bed.

"Now, where were we?" he pondered.

"You were angry."

"Ah, yes." Recalled the trickster –"I was, wasn't I? I do not think I am anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"No." he pushed her gently on her side and settled behind her, resting his head on her shoulder and resuming his boundless teasing between her legs while latching onto the crook of her neck with blood-stained lips. He kept at that for a whole half hour, ignoring her bucking and wordless protests, stopping whenever she got close to climax and humming contently whenever a fresh gush of liquid discharged from her sex. He was so darn steadfast at staying in tune with her rhythms that he completely neglected his own needs. His cock was only there to keep her destitute and longing.  

"Loki, for the love of fuck…just fucking get in there…" begged Rogue, in the classiest of manners, adding the restless growls of a baby monster to her plea.   

"No, I don't think so." He answered and drove his wet cock a little bit further upwards, to her second hole. The mutant stilled and her breathing pattern changed. It was now flat, and her eyes opened as she raised her head from the pillow once more, and Loki once more eased her down- but it was not his previous frenzy, but a delicate suggestion –"you don't get to choose." He said simply. There was no chuckling or begging anymore and Loki grinned and bit lightly into her shoulder as a sort of solace, knowing that he encountered the fragility he was searching for.

"I chose you, you nitwit."

"Well then, trust your choice." He moved to shower tiny kisses on her neck and shoulder blades, preparing her for what was to come and distracting her from his cock that was hard and willing, pushing against the rims of her pressed hole.

"Loki, _no_." the begging reawakened, and it was now reverse and blissfully sweet, because it was dousing in genuine dread, and because he was not going to consider it.

"No?" he asked, still pushing moderately against that sealed entrance –"Come here, Vixen." He took her face in his hand and tilted it to kiss her smoothly, locking her lips to his and tempting her with his tongue, speaking in-between attacks- "It's alright, mutant. I will be quick."

"But I don't-" said Rogue, and Loki muted her with a suckle to her throat, where the rash was blooming –"Yes, you do." Said he –"I will do it either way, so you better let it happen." Then he spread kisses down her spine, following the trail with his hand, until he reached her buttocks.

He used his right hand to spread her ass cheeks and stopped for a second when she began writhing uncomfortably.

"Loki-"

"Have you done this before?" he tried to hit the core.

"Nope…" said Rogue, almost crying.

"Ah." He said softly –"Is that why you're fighting me?"

"I'm not fighting, I'm only saying that… well, I don't mind the _idea_ … but the thing is…"

"What is the _thing_?"  

"Well, your _cock_." He could hear her blushing and smirked.

"What about it?" he said, entertained.

"It's… well… it's fuckin' big, Loki. It wouldn't fit."

"Always so pessimistic. We wouldn't know unless we tried, now would we?" Said Loki reassuringly and wetted two fingers with her moisture, driving them up to her arshole, just beside his hard cock –"Let's see…" he circled her rim a few times with his slick forefinger, until he felt a positive movement that invited him inside, and pushed the finger past the contracting ring.

Rogue squealed into the pillow like a frightened rabbit, but the trickster knew that she was just reacting to the weirdness of it and was certain he hasn't caused her any pain. He had numerous male lovers who had taken him this way and vividly remembered the coarseness of the initial intrusion- an unusual feeling of a thing going the wrong way- inward instead of outward- not the way nature intended. Well, you get used to it. She'll get used to it.    

"Come on, Marie. Don't be a drama-queen- it's alright… it's alright…" he whispered on her ear while moving his finger back and forth, fucking her tenderly –"it's nothing, just sex." He kissed her neck and her cheek and her ear, finding a pace and following it, slow and soothing.

The frantic breathing stopped after a while- making room to quiet pleading moans that fumed his reason away. He was only a body burning with a primitive fire threatening to consume him before he had the chance to see this through. Then he felt her melting in his hold and without further ado replaced his finger with his cock, guiding it inside in one go- blind and careless. Rogue yelped and cringed, but out of instinct he held her tightly with one arm and covered her mouth with the other, locking her in a bear hug, crushing her against him and almost beside himself with ardor because the pressure on his dick was so right and so perfect he might have expired for the intensity of it.

"It is done, I'm inside." He said in a heated voice, feeling her quake with a sob of either passion or pain or both –"It is fine, mutant… I won't move until you say it's okay."

Slowly, he released her mouth, waiting, holding on, standing by, until he finally sensed the sweet surrender of her muscles. –"yes." He said, unthinking –" ** _yes_**."

Unknowing and wild, he brought his free hand to her clit and played with it to the congenial sounds she was conjuring. The sounds were drowning him in an ocean of mystical lust, luring him, battering his heart, sending him to the stars and back. He was swept away as he thrusted into her – brutally, lavishly, lovingly…. …

His mate howled as she came on his fingers, a train of whimpers following- and some firm involuntarily squeezing of inner muscles on his cock, milking it against his will- for he wanted to last more, but he spilled.

He turned Rogue around and kissed her hungrily –"I should die now, mutant, and not by my father's hand."

"That would be a waste of cock." Mused Rogue.

"You'd miss it? Is that what you're saying?" said the trickster and lay sweating on his back, pulling his lover close. She rested her head on his chest, panting still –"'course I would, spaceman." She muttered drowsily, gliding her fingers on his abs –"I love it." She whispered as she was sailing into slumber –"and _I love you_."

"The feeling is mutual." Concluded Loki, but she never heard it.

That was a truth.

~FIN~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I've been working on this fanfic for over a year now- started as a challenging experiment, but ended up being my baby. It's been a hell of a ride for me, and a great experience- but most of all, I shall desperately miss each and every one of the characters- (Tho obviously Loki was the cetner of it). At some point I was tempted to just go on forever, but that was just unfair. I've poured my heart and soul and practically everything else into this, and I loved getting into their minds and hearing them speak and watching them manifesting. and because and despite this was not quite "the sex story", I appreciate and cherish every like and every comment. You've made me very, VERY happy.  
> Thank you for coming along. <3


End file.
